Mass Effect III: Union
by Guardian Kitch
Summary: Battered, the NORMANDY SR2 has survived the suicide trip through the Omega 4 Relay. The war, however, has just begun. The Reapers are coming in hard, and with Cerberus now considered the enemy too Commander Shepard must unite the galaxy in a MASS UNION...
1. United We Stand, Divided We Fall

**Okay, before I let you get started on the pilot chapter of my latest story, _Mass Effect III: Union, _there are a few things you need to know.**

**First, this is just a pilot chapter. Whether or not I continue it will be based on several things. First, the number of reviews I get and what said reviews have to say. Second, the traffic data gained from this story. Third and lastly, this story takes importance up behind the book Duran and I are working on, the sequel to _Apocalyptic Dawn: Armageddon, _as well as my other fanfiction currently in the works, _Harry Potter and The Touch of Destiny, _which has just had the eleventh chapter posted to it today.**

**Now, so everyone is very much clear, it has been almost a year since I last played _Mass Effect 2_**, which will be the basis for my version of Commander Shepard. In that game I survived going through the Omega 4 Relay after gaining all available upgrades to my team and the _Normandy SR2_****,** and I lost no members of my crew. With that said, please keep in mind that has been a year since playing _Mass Effect 2, _and even then I never got the chance to play the DLCs that were released for it, so my knowledge may be slightly limited. Now, before you go on I do give you all my word that, should I continue this story, every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done to both games. I will be doing plenty of research online in regards to characters, locations, personalities, species, so on so forth. Now, with all of that in mind, here is chapter one.**

**P.S. Keep in mind I do not own _Mass Effect _or any of the characters, locations, etc. therein.**

**P.S.S. I am currently running a poll on my profile page for research purposes, just a thing of curiousity really, but when you finish with this story, if you would be so kind as to swing by my profile and cast your vote, I would be much obliged. The poll will be up until September 31, 2011.**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 001: United We Stand, Divided We Fall<strong>_

{21:38 hours, 9:38 p.m.}

{Omega Nebula, Milky Way Galaxy}

[Paragon: Rank 27 Renegade: Rank 12]

It had only been a few short hours since the Normandy SR-2, the most advanced warship in existence, had returned through the Omega 4 Relay, damaged, tired, but alive. Many had called it a suicide mission, for no one had ever before gone through the Omega 4 Relay and lived to tell the tale; once a ship went through it was never seen again, and yet Commander Kitch Shepard, Commanding Officer of the Normandy, first human Spectre, and hero of the Battle of the Citadel, had done the impossible, he had killed yet another Reaper, he had permanently destroyed the Protheans-turned-Collectors...they had walked into the belly of the beast, given it heartburn, and then destroyed it from the inside out, and they had survived to return home and tell the story.

However, Shepard reflected as he gazed around at the various members of his team, all of whom were standing around the broken remains of the conference table, the battle had only just begun. The Reapers were angrier than ever, more determined than ever, and they were still coming to destroy all organic life present in the Milky Way Galaxy, an event Shepard swore he would stop. Of course, he thought silently, it was unlikely that any single individual had ever caused so much grief to these ancient behemoths, which told Shepard they would be coming for him specifically first; he nearly smiled...he felt so honored to be able to be the first to shove his booted foot up the collective Reapers' asses.

"Jacob, Miranda," He began, looking over at the two Cerberus operatives, sizing them both up. "I have ended my cooperation and service with Cerberus." He said, this being the first time any of his crew, with the exception of Joker, had heard of the latest turn of events. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for either of you, and for that I thank you. I will understand if you want to return to Cerberus, and as I will tell everyone else in a few minutes I will make sure you get back to the Illusive Man."

"Commander," The dark-skinned Jacob Taylor answered. "Since joining up with you I've seen a dead man come back to life, I've been able to find my father and make sure he answers for his crimes, I've seen two dead Reapers, and I've seen an extinct race come back to life only to be killed off again. I've gone through the Omega 4 Relay and come back...I'm with you Commander."

"Miranda?" He asked as all eyes turned to the second Cerberus officer, a woman who had been created by a power-hungry man to be perfect.

"Cerberus gave me a home when I escaped my father, they appreciated my abilities and accepted me for who I am. They gave my sister and her family a safe place to live, a place my father could not reach, but when she needed me the most it was you, Shepard, who helped me get her to safety once and for all...my loyalties lie with you and the Normandy now, Shepard, not with the Illusive Man and Cerberus."

"Anyone else?" Shepard asked calmly, looking one-by-one at each of his team members. "If anyone wants to go home then now is the time."

"Shepard," Grunt said. "Your enemies are now our enemies, and there are no enemies more worthy for my skills than this, and you are my battle master, I will follow you wherever you go."

He nodded and listened as one-by-one his team told him, some quit firmly, that they would be staying with him aboard the Normandy while he sought to stop the Reaper threat once and for all.

"Commander," Joker's voice cut in through the room's speakers. "We're approaching the Mass Relay; what course should I set?"

"First things first." Shepard answered. "The Normandy needs repairs, repairs that will only be made once we can get into a dry dock...does the Citadel have room to take us in?"

"Negative, Commander. Most of the Citadel's shipyards are still under repairs from Sovereign's attack, and the rest are full with Citadel and Alliance warships."

"Okay Joker, take us home to Earth." Kitch replied, having been thinking of visiting the human homeworld for several minutes now. "The Alliance has dozens of shipyards in orbit and groundside...I know they'll have the room to dock us."

"Okay Commander, ETA to Earth is four hours."

"Good job Joker." He said, turning again to face his crew. "Everyone get some shuteye; I know we could all use it after what's happened; we'll meet back here in four hours."

As the group dispersed Kitch made his way passed the rest of his teammates and followed the dimly lit corridor through the armory and tech lab and back through to the CIC, where the huge galaxy map was now shut off, not needed for the immediate future. Giving a short nod to his yeoman, a young woman with short red hair, Kelly Chambers, a nod he then gave to the few crewmembers standing at their stations around the map and the orange display of the Normandy, and then he made his way down the small hall and into the cockpit, where helmsman Jeff Moreau, better known to those aboard the Normandy as Joker, was sitting, calmly controlling the ship as it slid through space.

"I owe you one, Joker, thank you."

"Well, actually, you owe me more than one, Commander, but who's counting?" Joker joked.

"Remind me to buy you a drink when we get groundside." Shepard answered back, a smile forming on his face once more. "In fact, make that two."

"I'll hold you to that, Commander." Joker said as he depressed a button on EDI's consol, the blue orb appearing immediately before the two men.

"EDI," He began immediately. "I've cut all ties with the Illusive Man and Cerberus...is there any way he can control or attempt to control the Normandy?"

_"Yes, Commander Shepard."_ EDI confirmed. _"The Illusive Man installed devices into the Normandy's base operational parameters to allow him to lock down the ship's control systems, engines, weapons, kinetic barriers, and communications systems."_

"Can he control you?"

_"He can deactivate me temporarily, but he cannot destroy me and he has limited control over my actions."_

"Limited Control?" Shepard asked, cocking an eyebrow. "How limited?"

_"In my current state I would be unable to act proactively against Cerberus or the human race as a whole, exempting members of your race cleared by the Illusive Man."_

"Is there anyway you can take those devices out?"

_"Not from here."_ EDI answered. _"However, once we are in docks for repairs I can assist the teams in finding and eliminating any of the devices installed by the Illusive Man."_

"Then why hasn't he already shut our systems down?" Joker asked. "We just turned our backs on him and stole the most advance ship in existence and he's just going to let us get away with it?"

"Because, he plans on using us later on, and I'm going to bet that he'll use control of the Normandy toforce us to agree with it and work for him again; we're not going to give him that chance. When we dock at Earth we'll work with Tali and Legion to see if we can't figure out some way to disable the Illusive Man's control over this vessel. In the meantime, Joker, open a comm channel for me; I need to address the full crew."

"Patching you through, Commander." Joker responded, giving the human Spectre the crew's full attention.

_"We did it."_ Shepard began without preamble. _"For the past several weeks this ship and her crew have been working around the clock, collecting data and information on an ancient threat this galaxy has long since forgotten, a ghost that only a handful of beings across the galaxy actually believe in._

_"Many called it suicide, going through the Omega Four Relay. 'No ship', we were told time and time again, 'has ever made it through the Omega Four Relay and back again.' But we did. No race has ever stood proud and firm against the Reapers. But we did. Never, in the history of the Milky Way Galaxy, have galactic forces joined together to destroy to of the Reapers' advanced guard. But we did. No one had ever survived capture by the Collectors, we were told. But we did! Time and time again the odds have been stacked, not just against me but against every man and woman aboard this ship, and yet, time and time again we have overcome those odds and bounced back stronger than ever!"_ Shepard paused for a brief moment to allow his words to sink in.

_"Already, with only a couple of hours having passed since our return from the Galactic Core, our most recent adventure has spread like a wildfire. Reporters from across the galaxy have been requesting interviews with me left and right; the sheer volume alone in the past hour have already forced me to replace my overloaded omnitool not once but twice. The same thing happened two years ago when I defeated Sovereign and Saren onboard the Citadel, which leads me to my next point. _

_"Two years ago, when the _Normandy SR1_ and I were destroyed, I had one final thought, one final emotion, as I was shot out into space and the cold hard vacuum filled in around me. It was regret; regret for never having told the truth about everything, regret for never setting the record straight as I should have done long ago. So now, here with all of you, that's what I'm going to do._

_"I've been hailed as a galactic hero. 'Commander Shepard, so great even the Reapers tremble before him'. The first human Spectre, Savior of the Citadel, Hero of the Milky Way, slayer of Reapers. I must confess that these are lies. I am no hero, I did not slay the Reapers, did not save the Council and the Citadel. That was always the work of my crew, men and women, below me in official rank, who decided to trust me and gave their all to assure that the job got done properly. Without both my team and this crew we would be nothing...we'd be less than nothing._

_"Without all of you working to keep this ship, this home of ours, in top shape we would never have even made it to the Omega Four Relay, let alone slip through it and back again. So, as I released to the press just moments ago, my official, heart-felt opinion is that it was not Commander Shepard who has done the impossible once more but the crew of the _Normandy SR2_, who, while lesser to me in rank, are far my superiors in spirit and skills._

_"I am proud to have served alongside each and every one of you. I am honored that all of you have had my back when I need it the most, whether that's on the battlefield or off. As far as I am concerned this ship has no crew, but a family. I charged a Reaper and the Collectors head-on for all of you, and that made but a dent in the debt I owe every man, woman, and machine aboard this ship."_

Shepard stopped speaking and, making sure Joker wasn't looking over his shoulder, wiped a tear from his eyes.

_"I am tired of asking from my family the impossible."_ He continued a minute later. _"I wish I could tell you that with the Collectors destroyed the threat was now finished, but it is not, which is why I must again ask too much from you who have already given your fullest measure of devotion. The Reapers are still out there, waiting to repeat a cycle that has been going on for millions of years. It may be a week or it may be a month; hell it could be another two years, but they are coming, and it falls to us to stop them once and for all._

_"I have ended this ship's service with the organization known as Cerberus. I know everyone aboard this ship, minus the team I have been working these past weeks to organize, were hired by and are loyal to Cerberus, which is why I cannot, will not, command you to follow me in turning my back on the Illusive Man. We are en route even as we speak to the shipyards at Earth, which all of us know to be the Human homeworld. Anyone who remains loyal to Cerberus is free to leave the ship upon our arrival, with my thanks and best wishes. No one anywhere will think any less of you should you leave, of that you have my word, as you do in the promise that I will help get you to wherever you want to go._

_"For those of us who will be remaining with _Normandy_ at Earth, our current mission is as clear as anything we've ever done. No force in the universe has ever stopped the Reapers from carrying out their cycle of extinction. But we will. No one has ever stabbed the Illusive Man in the back without suffering the most severe consequences for it. But we will. No one has ever united the galaxy's major species into one cohesive unit acting for the betterment of the Milky Way galaxy, but we will! This is our galaxy's turning point, the moment where the major species stop squabbling amongst themselves and start working together for better or for worse! Humans, Salarians, Turians, Quarians, Asari, Batarians, Hanar, Drell, Krogan and even Geth!" Shepard continued, his voice rising in volume. "We will all unite under one common banner and with one goal in mind; making sure no threat, past, present, or future, can ever again jeopardize the safety of the Milky Way Galaxy!_

_"Centuries ago a famous group of humans known as the American Forefathers once came to a stunning conclusion, and though that was well over 400 years ago it fits perfectly now. 'United, we stand; divided, we fall.'. Remember that and we will emerge victorious. Remember that and we will not be stopped. Remember that, and the Reapers will have already fallen, they just don't know it yet."_

With those words the comm channel was silent once more, the Commander's speech now over.

"Ever give any thought to being a politician with that silver tongue, Commander?" Joker asked, eying up at Shepard, but the Spectre had no response. He suddenly felt tired, drained, both emotional and physically. His cracked ribs, even now beginning their healing stage, reminded him that he had not had any sleep since...he couldn't even remember the last time he'd had any real sleep.

"Wake me up when we reach Earth, Joker." Shepard ordered, and turning he decided it was time to give in to that most seductive temptress, even if only for a couple of hours.

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><p><strong>And there you have it.<strong>

**I know it's relatively short, especially compared to many of my other stories, but like I said at the top, this is just the pilot chapter; I assure you, should this story continue, which it likely will, the remaining chapters will be much, much longer.**

**Now, I do plan on this story being Shepard x Tali, but remember, it doesn't have to be smooth, now does it, eh? ;)**

**Finally, there are a few things I wish to explain before I sign off. First, the main goal of the _Normandy _crew in this story is the classic unite the galactic races and build up a military force capable (and willing) to stand off against the Reapers. However, I do plan on giving this storyline a few unique (I hope) spins, twists, and turns.**

**Also, I do not plan on painting the Illusive Man (TIM) as an out-of-control maniac obsessed with regaining control of the _Normandy _and her crew. I view him as a patient, conniving man, much like Count Dooku/Darth Tyrannus and his master, Palpatine/Darth Sidious in the Star Wars universe. When he discovers he has lost his hidden failsafes aboard the _Normandy _then there will be a few board and seizure attempts, but that will likely be the extent of it. In addition, _IF _I start refering to the Illusive Man as TIM it will be later on after one of the characters begin to refer to him as TIM.**

**And, before any of you begin to get certain thoughts into your head, there will be no _Star Wars/Mass Effect _crossovers, though now that I think about it I would LOVE to see how the Reapers would fare against the Death Star. lolz Hmmm...**

**Well, until next time.**


	2. Arrested Development

**Wow. That's all I have got to say...wow. I did not think this story would be so popular when I posted it. Goes to show what I know, huh?**

**Anyways, before I allow you to read the next chapter there are a few things I want to cover real quick.**

**First, when I said it doesn't have to be smooth, that's just what I meant. Just because I say Shepard and Tali are going to end up together doesn't mean it has to be an easy ride, like I've read in most Mass Effect fics...come to think of it, it doesn't _have _to happen. Let's say the story goes in a completely different direction...it's always possible to change the story parameters and stats, change it from a ShepardxTali fic to, say, a ShepardxMiranda fic, or a ShepardxAshley fic...yeah, you guys get the point. So, **JamesK716, **anything's possible. ;)**

**Now, I want to thank **andrewjameswilliams **and **SergiusTheGreat **for the great advice they gave me in his review, advice I have already begun to take to heart. And don't worry, there will be plenty of action on down the road, you have my word on that. **

**Just so there is no doubt, I will swear before God himself that I am the biggest _Star Wars _nerd alive; I have watched all the movies, TV shows, read all the books, and played most of the games. In the next several chapters I will be using a writing style used by **Matthew Stover **in his novelization of _Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,_ a writing style I feel truly did the book and movie justice.**

**And finally, I must again apologize for this chapter being relatively short, especially compared to my other fics, though in my defense it is slightly longer than the first chapter. I promise though that this will be one of the last super-short chapters; the following chapters will be MUCH longer.**

**As usual, I do not own _Mass Effect _or any of the characters, blah blah blah, you guys know the drill. Now, on with the show, as I like to say.**

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><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES BY <strong>Guardian Kitch

_Harry Potter and the Touch of Destiny_

_Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 002: Arrested Development<strong>_

**{0100 hours; 1 a.m.}**

**{Earth Sol System Local Cluster Milky Way Galaxy}**

**[Paragon: Rank 27 Renegade: Rank 12]**

Shepard sat upright, suddenly more awake than ever, despite the fact that the four hours of sleep he'd just received felt like nothing. It wasn't the sound of EDI's voice telling him they'd docked with one of Earth's orbital shipyards to begin repairs, and it wasn't Joker making some joke about how they'd docked on one of the Human homeworld's ground-based shipyards to begin repairs that woke him up, but rather the sound of screaming voices coming from just outside of his cabin, and from what he could hear the voices weren't friendly.

Kitch Shepard smoothed his officer's uniform, now missing the Cerberus logo, as he reached for the pistol he always kept at hand, and making sure he was alone in his room he headed for the exit, his mind already racing on how to repel a Cerberus attempt to take his ship back.

However, upon opening the door he realized that the noise was not because of a Cerberus boarding attempt on the _Normandy _but rather a _successful_ boarding by System Alliance Marines.

"Listen, Quarian," The lead marine barked, taking aim with his assault rifle. "Stand down and allow us to do our mission or I'm going to crack the visor on your helmet, the _hard _way."

In response to the Marine's threat Tali'Zorah vas Normandy raised her shotgun, and to his surprise Tali wasn't alone. Standing on the far side of Tali, his sniper rifle also raised and aimed, was Garrus Vakarian, the only one of his squad members, aside from Tali, who had been with him from the beginning, back when he'd been tracking down the rogue Spectre Saren.

"They're not listening to us." The marine shouted to the men behind him. "Take them d-"

Shepard stepped directly in front of Tali, his pistol cocked and locked, aimed at the head of the lead marine. "It is so important to your future that you do not finish that sentence." Shepard growled, waiting for what might happen next.

"Shepard," The marine returned, the fact that he had not used Kitch's rank with within the Alliance not going unmissed by Shepard and his present squad. "I advise you to order the Turian and Quarian to stand down, _now_!"

"You are aboard _my _ship without _my _permission." Shepard responded. "You are in no position to be giving orders, marine."

"The _SSV Normandy _belongs to the System Alliance Navy, not some rogue Commander-turned-Spectre."

"This is not the _SSV Normandy_." Shepard corrected. "That ship was destroyed two years ago. This ship was built as a replacement for myself and my squad by the organization Cerberus-"

"High Command will be interested in hearing that admission at your-"

"Shut up and tell me what it is you want before I lose my temper and order my crew to repel borders."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Joker," Shepard said, opening up his omni-tool. "Spread this order to the rest of the crew; begin repelling bor-"

"By orders of the System Alliance High Command you are under arrest pending a formal court martial." The lead marine cut off, not allowing Shepard to finish his own order. "You and your crew will be confined to this ship until this court martial is concluded. I will be posting two of my marines just outside of your ship to ensure that none of this ship's crew vacate the vessel as per these orders. I will be returning at 0800 to escort you to the court martial, where the Alliance High Command will decide your fate."

"Duly noted." Shepard said, sounding almost bored. "Now vacate my vessel, _now!"_

"Very well Shepard, though if I were you I'd begin saying my farewells; I don't see you returning to this ship anytime soon." And with those words the squad of marines turned around and left Shepard alone with Garrus and Tali.

"_Keelah_." Tali breathed, at last lowering her shotgun.

"Damn Shepard, your Alliance knows how to give its heroes a welcome." Garrus joked, lowering his own weapon. "Thanks for jumping in front of me to protect me from the big bad human marines." Garrus added with another laugh.

"Been spending more time around Joker, I take it, Garrus?" Shepard replied, laughing too. It felt alien, he realized, being able to have a good laugh with no worries, even though he'd just been not-so-kindly informed that he was being court-martialed, likely for his actions over the past weeks and months.

"Commander!" Miranda Lawson, the ship's Executive Officer, shouted, stepping out of the lift onto Deck One. "Did the-"

"They found me." Shepard answered. "It appears I'm being court-martialed in just seven hours."

"Orders, Shepard?" Miranda asked, going silent as she waited for his answer.

"Requisition the necessary supplies and provisions." He answered. "The crew's not going to be allowed off of the _Normandy _until it's over with, which could be a while. I want the squad in the CIC in ten minutes to discuss our next move. Also, Miranda, I need everything you can get me on the damage suffered by _Normandy _during the last fight and what will be needed to repair that damage."

As Miranda walked off to do the work Shepard had just given her the Commander turned to face Garrus and Tali.

'Garrus, I need all available information on the status of the _Normandy's _weapons systems, particularly the Thanix Cannon."

"Planning on a fight anytime soon?" He asked casually, causing Shepard to shrug his shoulders.

"It's possible. I don't really _want _to blast my way out of the shipyards, but the Reapers are still out there, preparing for their invasion; if it comes down to it I'll do what I must."

"Good old Commander Shepard; ready to sacrifice everything for the Greater Good." Garrus said, laughing again as he headed off for the lift himself, leaving Shepard alone with Tali.

"Tali, I need to know the status of the ship's propulsion systems. I also need to know if the _Normandy's _engines can take combat stress in their present state."

"Of course, Shepard."

He could hear hesitation in her voice even through her helmet's filters, as though there was something else she wanted to say.

"We do need to talk later, Tali." Shepard added. "But for now there's too much work to do in just seven hours. I promise though, one way or another, we _will _talk."

"I understand, Shepard." Tali answered, and even through her helmet he could tell she sounded relieved, as though she had expected what had happened between them before to mean nothing but something small and casual.

As Tali followed behind Garrus the Commander returned to his cabin, where he shut the door and, with a heavy sigh, began changing into his battered, black N7 armor.

This is Kitch Shepard...

He is a male human, but one of trillions spread throughout the Milky Way, and yet he is still one-of-a-kind, the last of a long-lost breed of man.

He is the Commanding Officer of the _Normandy SR-2_, easily the most advanced ship-of-war in the galaxy. He is a Systems Alliance Special Forces Marine, the first human Spectre. He is the guardian of Elysium, the savior of the Citadel. He is the Paragon of Justice, the slayer of Reapers, the end of Collectors. He is a master negotiator and a skilled pilot. He is a devastating warrior and an effective leader.

Inside, though, he holds firm to the belief that he's none of these things. He knows he got lucky on Elysium and had help against the Reapers and Collectors, and without his squad the Citadel would have easily been lost. He is no true Paragon because he has been known to add Renegade thoughts to his judgment, proving to be just as vengeful as he is heroic. He could never even _dream _of being the pilot Joker is, nor could he ever be a warrior the caliber of Urdnot Grunt and Urdnot Wrex. He could never be the marksman Garrus and Thane were born to be, and Tali was easily his superior in mechanics, just as Mordin was his superior in intellect. His knowledge of weapons is miniscule when compared with the weapons expertise of Jacob, and he could never have the power Jack commands. Samar is a superior negotiator and justice-getter than he could ever be, and he could never instill the fear into his enemies like Zaeed does, and Kasumi's stealth abilities put Shepard to shame. Miranda is far greater with tactics than he has ever been, and Legion's hacking skills were leagues above Shepard's own. He knows the most he provides to his squad is telling them where to go, what to do, who to kill, and who to save.

Yet they have all been drawn together by this one man, this one human, like a hungry Black Hole. Species that would make natural enemies have grown fond of one another, unable to keep up these epic hostilities up in face of his charisma and personality.

Though he will not admit it every member of his squad would tell you that he knows what must be done and will do whatever it takes to get it done, for the Greater Good of the galaxy. He will admit that he cares about every member of his squad and ever member of his ship's crew, as proved when he charged through the Omega 4 Relay to save the _Normandy_'s captured crew. He will do anything for his squad and crew, even if it cost him his own life.

He is a Special Forces Marine for the Systems Alliance, defending mankind wherever they may be troubled, and is loyal to humanity. He is a Spectre for the Citadel Council, doing whatever it takes to protect the galaxy's innocents, and he is loyal to the Milky Way Galaxy. He is a simple man with simple tastes, onto whose shoulders too much weight has been put, and is loyal to his true self. Most importantly, though, he _is _a Mass Relay, taking the lives and souls of those with him and speeding them along to their destiny, and he is loyal first-most to his squad and crew, to his family.

There has never been anyone like him in the past, and the galaxy knows that once he is gone there will never be anyone like him again. He is imperfect. His skills are inferior when compared with those owned by his squad and crew members. He charges headlong into battle, often risking the mission to save a friend. He often lets his emotions dictate his decisions, which he feels taints his Paragon title the galaxy views him with. Unlike his second-in-command, he is not perfect, not by a long shot...

And yet this imperfection only serves to make him perfect. Through his imperfections he has become perfect. By not being the best with any of these vital skills he _is _the best, and the only person in the galaxy who fails to see that is Shepard himself. He is the leader of the most elite squad ever assembled, and he is the reason the Reapers' cycle of extinction will now fail.

This is what makes him so vital to the Milky Way Galaxy; it is for these reasons he is so special...and he doesn't even know it.

Ten minutes later, now donning his full combat armor and weapons payload, Shepard strode into the CIC, where all twelve members of his squad now stood, waiting patiently for their Commander.

"Kelly," Shepard began, addressing the only actual crewmember of the _Normandy _left in the CIC, the others likely sound asleep, unaware of what was now going on. "What's the status of our crew?"

"Crewman Hawthorne is resting comfortably in the Medical Bay." Kelly answered. "But the rest of the crew is in great shape, save being slightly tired." And as if to emphasize her words the red-haired yeoman stifled a large yawn.

"Make sure the crew knows that we are confined to the ship until further notice, and go get some sleep yourself."

"Yes, Commander." Kelly answered, turning back to finish the work she was doing before his interruption.

"Okay everyone," Shepard continued, turning to face his squad. "Just in case you didn't know I'm being court-martialed by the Alliance. I've not been informed of the exact charges but I'm assuming it's because of our recent cooperation with Cerberus. Until my trial is concluded the entire crew, as I just told Yeoman Chambers, is being confined to the ship." He sighed. "In the event that the Alliance decides to find me guilty of treason or other serious charges I want us ready to escape the docks and the Alliance forces that will be in place to stop us. Garrus, what's the status of our weapon systems?"

"The smaller weapon systems, including the GARDIAN Lasers, are all offline and will take a lot of work to repair. The Javelin Disruptor Torpedoes are also offline, but it should only take a couple of hours to repair the launchers, so they should be ready before your court-martial. The heavy armor we installed also needs complete replacing in multiple sections, and the Kinetic Barriers are down to 40% power."

"And the Thanix Cannon?" Shepard asked.

"Fully charged and operational."

"Tali, how are the engines and propulsion systems?" He asked, turning to gaze down at the Quarian who now made his heart skip a beat.

"The Antiproton Thrusters are at fifty percent capacity, as is the Fusion plant, Commander." Tali replied. "The Tantalus Drive Core is at 40% power, and we have 30% fuel remaining."

"Miranda, what's the extent of the damage we suffered?"

"Like Garrus said, most of our smaller weapon systems are currently down. The Kinetic Barriers are at 40%, and most our new armor needs replacing. Our Stealth Systems are down and will take some time to fix, _once _we get the replacement parts and equipment I ordered."

"Joker, if something happens and we have to leave in a hurry, can the _Normandy _do it?"

"Well, it'd be like a wingless bird running away from a pack of cats, but you've got the best pilot in the galaxy."

"Knew I could count on you, Joker." Shepard said. "Kasumi, when I leave for my trial I want you to follow me, but don't be seen."

"You want me to steal something, Shep?" She asked with a chuckle. "That's not like you."

"Information." Shepard corrected. "I want you to follow Admiral Hackett without being seen and gather any information about this court-martial that you can."

"Ah, I see."

"Grunt, Jacob, and Jack, I want you to remain on the Bridge with Joker; should Alliance marines board again you are to repel them by any means necessary. I want Samara, Thane, and Zaeed down in the Cargo Hold in case they try to board us from there. Miranda, Garrus, and Tali, you'll be coming with me to the trial, so make sure you're ready. Legion, I want you to work with EDI and block any attempt to access any of the ship's systems or files that may be attempted by the Alliance. Mordin, I will be coming by the labs later to talk to you about a couple of projects I want you to look into for me.

My court-martial begins at 0800, just under seven hours, so make sure you're all ready by 0730. If things go less than favorably we'll have to fight our way free of the Alliance."

Each member of the team voiced their acknowledgements, and as the squad filtered out to do the jobs now placed before them Shepard motioned for Tali to follow him, and together the two silently walked back to lift, where Shepard depressed the key to take him back up to Deck One.

"Is everything okay, Tali?" Shepard asked as they stood there, patiently waiting for the elevator to arrive at Deck One.

She was hesitant before she answered, and when she did speak her voice cracked, clear signs to the seasoned Shepard that she was being less than honest.

"I am fine." She replied. "Most of my injuries suffered during our last meeting were superficial, my suit suffered no puncture, so my wounds have healed."

"That's good." Shepard said as they arrived on Deck One. "But that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean, Shepard?"

Shepard opened his mouth to speak but then closed it; what _did _he mean? How should he put what he meant?

_'Come on Shepard!' _He admonished himself. _'You're a marine for crying out loud! You're the first human Spectre, the savior of the Citadel! You've destroyed Collectors and slain Reapers! Surely telling such a beautiful, kind Quarian how you really feel is nothing for you!' _However, as he struggled to find the words and way to tell Tali how he felt, he somehow got the feeling that he'd rather be fighting another Reaper.

"Look, Tali," He said finally, opting to go for the simple-but-honest tactic. "I like you, a lot...in fact, I think it may be beyond that. You mean everything to me, and then some. That's why you're always one of the members of the shore party. It's not just because you're the best mechanic we have, or because you're a spitfire who's destructive on the battlefield, both of which are true, but it's mainly because I can't stand to be away from you, and I feel like if you're with me then I can watch out for you and protect you."

"Shepard, you've already told me this-"

He cut the Quarian off. "I know I've told you this before, Tali, but I felt like I should repeat it again. I want you to know that, whatever's happened between us in the past or is happening between us now, it's not something that's only come forward because it's casual and convenient, or because I'm afraid I'm about to die; it's there because it's the truth and it feels right."

"You mean that, Shepard?"

He knew immediately he'd hit the problem right on the head.

"I do, Tali, and stop calling me Shepard when we're in private, it's just Kitch."

At that moment all Kitch Shepard wanted in the galaxy was to pull Tali's helmet off and kiss her until he passed out from a lack of oxygen, but that wouldn't work; it would jeopardize her health, and that was unacceptable...

"_Commander." _EDI Interrupted. "_I apologize for disturbing you and miss Zorah, but there is a visitor requesting permission to board the _Normandy."

"Who?" Shepard asked.

"_She simply says she's your legal counsel."_

Shepard immediately went into defense mode; he'd not yet even _considered _legal counsel for his coming court-martial.

"Are any of the squad around near the airlock?" He asked.

"_Legion and Executive Officer Lawson are currently repairing damage done to Navigational Systems in the CIC."_

"Have Miranda escort my _counsel_ to the Briefing Room, and contact Garrus, have him meet me there." Shepard ordered.

"Do you think it is a setup?" Tali asked, and unsure of what, exactly, he thought Shepard just shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know." He answered honestly. "It's not like the Alliance to frame one of their officers, even after all I've done."

"Cerberus?" Tali asked, and deep down Shepard knew it was just the kind of thing the Illusive Man would do; force Shepard to fight his way free of Alliance captivity and then use the lure of pulling strings to make it all go away in an effort to make the CO of the _Normandy _fall back in line with him once more.

"Highly possible." Shepard conceded. "Put me into a position to where I have no choice but accept his help in order to get out of the hole that's been dug for me."

"If it happens that you are found guilty of treason and your only way out is to rejoin the Illusive Man and Cerberus, will you do it?" Tali asked as they again stepped into the elevator, waiting for it to take them one level below to the Command Deck.

"I've said it before and I will say it again; I will not let fear compromise who I am. If the Alliance decides to find me guilty, for whatever reason, then we'll handle that as it comes. Besides," Shepard said as they exited the elevator. "I've got you at my back, so why would I go running back to the Illusive Man?"

Entering the damaged and battered Briefing Room Shepard noticed Garrus standing against the far wall while a woman with short, black hair styled up in a bun stood at the far end of the table. At Shepard's entrance, however, her body went rigid as she snapped to attention.

"Commander Shepard, sir." She greeted. "I'm Ensign Amy Williams with the Judge Advocate General's Office; my sister asked me to be the one to defend you during the coming proceedings."

"Your sister?" Garrus asked, confused, but it had already clicked in Shepard's head. The dark hair, the smooth skin, the eyes and the last name...the Ensign looked every bit like a younger version of Operations Chief Ashley Williams.

"Ashley sent you." Shepard confirmed, and the moment the Ensign nodded her head Garrus snapped his Sniper Rifle up as Tali repeated the process with her shotgun.

* * *

><p><strong>Before everyone pops and comes and hunts me down for my own court-martial, I want to explain a few things. <strong>

**First, I went with a court-martial because my research has indicated that the Reapers will attack Earth _during _Shepard's Court-Martial, though whether I follow that specific storyline or not remains to be seen. I have also learned that, come _Mass Effect 3 _the Alliance will have taken the _Normandy SR-2 _apart and then rebuilt it, but no, that's a big no-no for this fic.**

**Second, in case anyone's not noticed, I've not been giving the _Normandy SR-2 the _SSV designation. The reasoning, as will later be revealed, is because during the events of _Mass Effect 2 _the _Normandy SR-2 _is not officially a part of the Systems Alliance Fleet, meaning it cannot be given said designation. Whether or not it regains the _SSV _designation remains to be seen.**

**Now, in regards the hostile stance taken at the end by Garrus and Tali...when I played the Horizon mission, as usual with most of my missions, my team consisted of Tali and Garrus, and so in this story they will have been on Horizon when Ashley told Shepard what she did, and to these two that will be viewed as akin to the ultimate treason.**

**While we're on the subject of Ashley Williams, I know the original game said she had three younger sisters, and so I decided to bring one of them in. I'm assuming the Alliance would still have a JAG office or something similar, and I gave Ashley's sister the lowest officer rank according to the United States Navy, which is that of Ensign.**

**Let's see, I think I've covered everything for this chapter...oh yes, Shepard's speeches. Several of his speeches will be used from war movies and Sci-Fi movies I come across, though some will be reworded to fit the situation, so there's something else for you to look forward to.**

**As usual, feedback, negative or positive, is welcome and can be left via a review, and the same goes for suggestions and ideas and general comments. Unitl next time...**


	3. The Order That Was Never Issued

**Before we get involved with the next chapter, there are a few things I need to say real quick. **

**First, from now on only the most important things will go up here at the beginning of the chapter. I have always been annoyed by uber long author notes, and looking back I have seemed to develop that habit as well. So, from now on, most of my notes will go at the bottom. (Thanks to **GoG ToXIC **for pointing this out for me: I owe ya one.)**

**Second, I'd like to apologize in waiting so long to post the next chapter; I just recently discovered that, at 23 years old, I have gout in my right foot, and for the past three days I've been unable to make it down here to the public library.**

**And finally, yada yada yada, I don't own Mass Effect. Now, on with the longest chapter so far. YAY!**

*******WARNING*****TO BE SAFE I HAVE CHANGED THIS STORY'S RATING TO (M): if this chapter doesn't warrant it some of the following chapters will.**

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><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES BY <strong>Guardian Kitch

_**Harry Potter and the Touch of Destiny**_

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter Three: The Order That Was Never Issued<strong>_

**{0130 hours; 1:30 a.m.}**

**{Earth - Sol System - Local Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy}**

**[Paragon: Rank 27 Renegade: Rank 12]**

"Why should we trust that _bosh'tet_?" Tali growled, sounding suddenly less like a sentient being and more like a wild animal as she took aim down her shotgun.

"I'm sorry." Ensign Williams said kindly, obvious not understand the native Quarian curse, a situation Garrus was all to quick (and eager) to remedy.

"I see." Amy Williams said, calmly nodded her head. "Well, Tali'Zorah vas Neema, Garrus Vakarian, I can understand your frustration; my sister warned me that the crew of the _Normandy_, in particular the two of you, might be slightly more than hostile towards me."

"Did she happen to mention the reason for that?" Shepard asked calmly.

"She told me of the, ah, _conversation_, you had on Horizon following the Collector ambush. Again, I can understand your frustration. However, I will make one thing very clear, and I will make it clear now." She said, gazing from Tali to Garrus. "I am an officer for the Systems Alliance, and, pardon me for my seeming lack of modesty, I am a hell of an attorney. Provided, Commander, that you follow my advice and lead, I can give you my word that I will get you out of the mess you've gotten yourself into. I am many things, but I am _not _my sister. Now, either lower your weapons or I will defend myself as I see necessary."

It was only at this point that, despite the bulk of her regal uniform, Shepard noticed the pistol at her side, a weapon perfectly concealed.

"Garrus," He ordered finally. "Tali, lower your weapons; I believe we can trust Ensign Williams."

The pair hesitated at first, but after nodding his head to show he meant what he said his two friends did as instructed.

"Normandy." Tali said as she disarmed herself.

"Ma'am?" The Ensign asked kindly as she took her seat, the others following suit.

"You called me Tali'Zorah vas Neema. My name is now Tali'Zorah vas _Normandy_."

"I apologize, miss Zorah." Amy said kindly. "I did not know." She finished, turning to face Shepard, who was currently the closest to her. "Now, Commander, I believe I already have the perfect defense, one that will immediately get the charges against you dropped. However, to be on the safe side, I do need to get all the available information from you as I can, especially considering we have only six and a half hours to prepare your defense. Now, I give you my word that, for better or worse, everything that you say here will stay between us, but for the sake of your defense I must know the truth to these questions."

"I understand." The Commander said. "But first, how did you know their names?" Shepard asked, gesturing to both Garrus and Tali.

"I have been provided all of the information regarding you and your crew." She answered. "I know the identity of all of your known squad and crew members."

"I see."

"Now, two years ago, when the _SSV Normandy SR-1 _was destroyed, what exactly happened to you."

"Our pilot, Joker-"

"Joker?"

"Jeff Moreau." Shepard Corrected. "He suffers from Vrolik Syndrome, which makes it difficult and dangerous for him to walk. While the rest of my crew abandoned ship following the sneak attack that destroyed the original _Normandy_ I headed to the bridge to assist him in getting to the escape pods. Joker made it away just in time, as I was blown into space. My suit suffered a rip, venting my oxygen supply into space...I died."

"And yet here you sit in front of me."

"Cerberus used cutting-edge nanotechnology and cybernetics to bring me back to life. After making my recovery I was then informed of the disappearances of humans from our colony worlds, which I then began to investigate. I was first sent to Freedom's Progress, which was where I first began to suspect the Collectors."

"I see; you willingly chose to work with Cerberus, despite knowing of their actions, most of which are illegal. If your file is up-to-date, you yourself broke up several Cerberus rings shortly after becoming a Spectre, during your hunt for Saren Arterius."

"Do you think he liked it?" Tali asked, cutting in. "Are you stupid enough to think he _willingly _worked for-"

Shepard raised his hand to stop Tali before she went too far.

"I only worked with Cerberus because they were the only ones willing to admit that the threat of the Reapers really existed. Yes, the Citadel Council reinstated my Spectre status, but they were unwilling to go on record and acknowledge that the Reapers exist. As far as they were concerned, in the public eye anyways, _Sovereign _was just an advanced geth ship-of-war led by Saren, a lie the Alliance bought as well. Had either the Alliance or the Council decided to take this threat seriously I would have left Cerberus much, much sooner."

"So you've ended your cooperation with the organization?"

"I have."

"And yet your ship still sports their colors."

"Look." Shepard growled, not liking what he thought she might be implying. "We've only _just _come back through the Omega Four Relay; giving my ship a new coat of paint was not at the top of my priority list."

"The Omega Four Relay?" Williams asked, taken aback. "Impossible."

"He's telling the truth!" Garrus and Tali shouted in unison.

"You may look at our navigational records if you'd like." Shepard said. "They will prove my words to be true."

"And what were you doing going through the Omega Four Relay to begin with?"

"The Collectors." Shepard answered. "My squad and I were investigating a derelict Reaper when the Collectors attacked the _Normandy_ and abducted the ship's crew, with the exception of our pilot, Joker. Using the Reaper IFF we obtained during our exploration of that derelict Reaper we then went through the Omega Four Relay, rescuing our crew and destroying the Collector base."

"You do realize, don't you Commander, that this story sounds completely ridiculous; if we based your defense solely on this you'd be found guilty almost immediately and I would be laughed out of the Navy and off of the bar."

"Doesn't make it any less true." Shepard said matter-of-factly.

"You have also been charged with housing an enemy of the state; is it true that you have a Geth as a squad member?"

"His name is Legion." Shepard confirmed.

"And you trust him?"

"I do; he saved my life."

"I suppose you have some wild story about how the Geth are really not at fault for all that's happened, that they're not as evil as we know them to be."

"As a matter of fact," Shepard admitted, a smile forming temporarily on his face. "The Geth that aided Saren and attacked the Citadel were heretics that did not represent the race as a whole."

"They were right about you." The woman said with a shake of her head. "Whatever happened to you has driven you mad and the best place for you is the brig. I should not represent you; I'm about to sink my entire career before it even gets off of the ground." She sighed. "But, I gave my sister my word I would that I would do all I could to get you out of this situation. She, at least, seems to buy your story, regardless of whether or not it's true, and I have never been one to break my word. Lucky for you, as I mentioned before, I have a defense that should get all charges immediately dismissed, whether the charges are warranted or not."

"What defense might that be?" Shepard asked, only for the woman to shake her head.

"Don't you worry about that Commander. I must be going, though; I have a little more research to do before today's trial." She stood up, offering a salute, which Shepard returned as he too stood up.

"I'll see you later, sir." She said, and for some reason Shepard couldn't help but like this young officer. While she did not trust that what he was telling her was true, she still had enough respect for his rank and she remembered her place in regards to that rank.

And turning she walked off, offering no words to either Garrus or Tali as she left.

"I suddenly feel more confident about your chances to escape these charges." Garrus said sarcastically. "I say let's force our way out now and wait until the Reapers begin their attack before we destroy them; then _everyone _will know you're right."

"As tempting as that is, I don't want to do that." He replied. "I want to _unite _the galactic governments and races, not alienate them."

"Well, Shepard, I'm going to return to my work on the weapons systems." Garrus said, turning and following Amy Williams out the door, again leaving Tali and the Commander alone...Tali immediately turned and began stalking her way towards him.

"Why do you trust that _bosh'tet_?" She asked. "You heard what Ashley said on Horizon...do you honestly think they'll be capable of vindicating you of these charges?"

"I do." Shepard said. In truth, he had trusted Amy Williams even before her little speech. He still remembered the message Ash had sent him not longer after their encounter on Horizon, just as he remembered the feelings she'd made clear to him, and while he no longer shared those feelings he knew how sincere they were. Of course, he wasn't going to tell Tali this.

"Why though?" Tali asked, still unable to comprehend why he would trust the sister of someone she believed to be an enemy.

"Because, the things Ashley said to me on Horizon were said out of emotion, not because she truly meant them. We humans often allow our emotions to rule what we do and what we say instead of thinking and saying what we actually mean, a fault that is my own, as you know by now. You know how close Ashley and I were before the original _Normandy _was destroyed and I was killed."

"Of course I do." Tali growled, and the white glows that were Tali's eyes, the only visible piece of her face visible through her helmet, narrowed considerably, reminding Shepard that he might need to toe the line here.

"Imagine, Tali, imagine for just a moment." He said. "Imagine that the same thing happened now and then, in two years, you encountered me after I'd been brought back to life, only to learn I was working for Cerberus or some other terrorist organization...imagine how you would feel-"

"I do not need to imagine it," Tali countered angrily. "Because I have been there. Your people's colony on Freedom's Progress, remember?"

"But you and I weren't as close as Ashley and I had been."

"But my feelings for you existed, even during our pursuit of Saren. I know how Ashley felt, but I did not say such awful things to you."

"But you thought them." Kitch countered with a chuckle. "Admit it, Tali; when we first met and you discovered I was working with Cerberus the first thing you wanted to do was give me a good slap to the face."

"More like shove my foot up your-"

"_Exactly!_" Shepard exclaimed. "Only you showed you're a better woman than Ashley. You trusted that I knew what I was doing, even though I'd just returned from the dead and was working for a pro-human extremist organization, and when I needed you the most you were there.

"Ashley was wrong for what she said, and she sees that now; just because she made one mistake is no reason for me to forsake her now."

"_Keelah!" _Tali exclaimed, as though she'd just made a revelation of universal importance. "You still love her."

"Of course I-wait, what?" Shepard asked, shocked beyond belief. "No, I don't love her." He countered. "Once upon a time, maybe, but certainly not now." Shepard sighed. "Tali, Ashley is still a friend, a comrade, and I still trust her. If she believes her sister can clear me of these charges then so do I. Besides," He said, allowing a sly smile to form on his face. "If I loved Ashley then what would I be doing with such a sexy little Quarian spitfire on my time? If I really loved Ashley why not stick, say, Kal'Reegar or Veetor on the squad instead, or maybe even Admiral Xen-"

This finally got a reaction out the Quarian, though a punch in his shoulder wasn't exactly what he'd been looking for.

"You're stuck with me, Tali." He said, smiling widely now. "Whether you want me or not, you're stuck with me."

"That is okay." She said, heading for the door. "I have Chikktika."

Shepard laughed as Tali took off to check on the ship's engines, now leaving Shepard alone to his thoughts. To his surprise he found himself sitting back down, reflecting now on the trial that was to come.

From the age of eighteen he had joined the Alliance Navy, inspired by his parents and the fact that the one life he knew best was that of a spacer military person. Up until that fateful shore leave on Elysium all those years ago...

"By the stars." Shepard mumbled, unable to believe how old he suddenly felt. "It's not even been twenty years since the Skyllian Blitz and my stand on Elysium and yet it feels like six lifetimes ago."

The Systems Alliance had been all he'd ever really know from day one. Both of his parents had devoted their lives and even their marriage to the Alliance, as had their son following them. As far as his family was concerned a court-martial, especially given the charges being levied against him, was the topmost pinnacle of the mountain that was dishonor.

For the first time in over twenty years, Commander Kitch Shepard, decorated war hero, the latest in a bloodline of honorable war heroes and military servicemen and servicewomen, an elite N7 Marine, the galaxy's first Human Spectre, and the slayers of Collectors and Reapers alike, shed a tear.

It was a single tear. Nothing fancy, nothing most beings would even notice. It wasn't a washout, nor was it what fellow Humans would consider a waterworks. It was merely a single tear, nothing more, nothing less, brought on by the realization that he had failed not only himself and his crew but the two most important people to him in the world, the people who had given him all he had, the two beings who had made him all he was...

"No." Shepard growled, standing to his feet once more. "I will only disappoint them if I lie down and surrender. I will win this trial, and if I don't I will fight my way free and end the threat of the Reapers once and for all." He continued to say out loud. "I won't do it for the Council, and I won't do it for the Alliance...I won't even do it for Tali; I'll do it for my parents. They did everything for me, devoted all they had to me and then the Alliance, and now it's my turn to give to them _my _Last Full Measure of devotion." He said, remembering with stunning clarity the long-winded speech he'd given the rest of his crew.

However, as he forced himself to return to the duties at hand he couldn't help but wonder to himself if, should the time come and his hand be forced, he would be able to fire on Alliance ships...would he have that strength, that will, to do the job at all costs?

_'You must be careful, Commander.' _He admonished himself as he approached the main elevator. _'This line of thought will take us to a dark place, a place best left alone.'_

Little did Commander Shepard know, however, that this one rogue tear was not alone, and through the fires now facing him Commander Shepard would be meeting a great many more of that tear's comrades.

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><p>{<strong>0145; 1:45 a.m.<strong>}

{**Unknown - Unknown - Unknown - Milky Way Galaxy**}

This is Jack Harper:

He is one of the Milky Way Galaxy's most cunning beings, Human or otherwise. He is one of the most intelligent beings in the galaxy, Human or otherwise. He is one of the universe's most ruthless individuals, Human or otherwise.

He is the Illusive Man. He is the founder and leader of the organization dubbed Cerberus. He is portrayed by his enemies to be a psychotic xenophobic extremist who long ago lost his sanity in his efforts to drive mankind to the top of the galactic food chain and is seen by his followers as a savior who refuses to let mankind be bullied across the stars. He is a decorated veteran of the First Contact War and was once the bane of the Turian race.

He is as mysterious as he is intelligent, as determined as he is cunning. He is a driven business of extraordinary savvy, and he accepts nothing but the best perfection from his operatives.

He is a vile savior. He is a threat to galactic stability and is one of the only beings in the galaxy now able (and willing) to face history's darkest threat and fight back. He is a fallen hero, and never should he be trusted. While Kitch Shepard parades around as the Paragon of Justice Harper has become the Renegade of Rebellion, bent on forcing Humans to take their place as the leading galactic species.

The thing is, though; he knows it. He knows all of this and much, much more, and he accepts it. He knows that the age of Mankind's galactic reign as the first true galactic superpower has come at last, and he has gladly embraced this destiny.

There is one thing, however, that the Illusive Man knows very little about. As vile and ruthless as his acts may be, they are the key that, in the end, will save the Milky Way Galaxy. His actions bring out the darkest evil in some, yes, but they also bring out the brightest light in others, and it will be those select few who shall end up not only showing the galaxy what Mankind is capable of but also proving to everyone that there can be galactic unity, even in the face of such vast differences.

He has been known as Jack Harper and is now known as the Illusive Man. He is considered to the Renegade of Rebellion, the ultimate Boogey Man used to scare younglings of all alien species into being good. However, through his actions he has become something more...

He has become Destiny's Way, and it will be through him that the door to galactic salvation and unity will open up at last. Were something to happen to the Illusive Man now the Milky Way galaxy would fall to its knees.

And deep down, he knows this.

The holographic form of the woman he was now placing so much faith in suddenly appeared from thin air, her image standing tall and proud as she waited faithfully for him to speak.

"Well?" He asked, taking a puff of the cigar in his mouth.

_"I'll be able to get him off." _She confirmed. "It'll be a technicality, not a true defense like what you were expecting, but they will have little choice but to drop all of the charges."

"I hope you know I'm placing a lot of stock in you." He said silently, contemplating the woman as she let her dark hair down from its bun and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

_"Why are you so worried about his court-martial anyways?" _She asked.

"Commander Shepard is the most important man in the galaxy right now; I have already lost a fortune bringing him back to life and keeping him in that condition. We cannot afford to lose him, not yet."

_"Let me guess; you believe his fairy tales about these Reapers too, right?"_

"I know the Reapers exist, and the only person currently in existence to have ever defeated them in combat is the man I am paying you another fortune to defend."

_"I don't see why you have to pay anyone, not that I'm complaining, of course-"_

"Are you suggesting that you'll do this case pro bono?"

_"Keep dreaming." _She snorted. _"I'm merely saying; _if _they find him guilty of the charges they've filed do you seriously think that sorry excuse of a crew of his wouldn't open up with the _Normandy's _full arsenal to break him out?"_

"Shepard would never allow his crew to open fire against Alliance vessels, even if it was for the greater good; he's already proved he'll only choke on the hard choices."

_"Then why do you continue to invest so much in him?"_

"He may choke on the hard choices but he still has his uses." He took another puff of his cigar. "Does he trust you?"

_"He's a damn Paragon." _She laughed. _"Of course he trusts me; he remains close to my sister, even if they don't realize it."_

"And is there any chance your sister can reveal that you're not doing this for her?"

_"I never said I wouldn't defend him; I just told her that she needed to get her pussy wet, pop his dick out of her mouth, and move on from a guy who seems to get around faster than a lubed dildo."_

"I want you to do whatever it takes to ensure that your cover is not blown. Under no condition do I want Shepard to know that you are working for me."

_"Why is that so important?" _She challenged.

"If Shepard discovers I am still pulling his strings he will decide that I am too big a threat to allow him to face the Reapers, and he will come after me."

_"Is that fear I hear in the Illusive Man's voice?"_

"Don't be stupid." He countered. "If Shepard came after me to destroy me I would have to kill him, and I hate to burn money; it's something I can't afford to go around doing."

_"It doesn't matter to me; just keep the money coming and I'll make sure Shepard's kept on his leash."_

"End Communications." The Illusive Man, formerly known as Jack Harper, ordered, and immediately the holographic image of Amy Williams disappeared, leaving him alone once more.

"Don't worry Shepard." He said aloud, turning to face the massive orange star around which he orbited. "You'll get out of this mess, and you'll go on to lead us all to total victory against the Reapers. You better hope, for the sake of yourself and your crew, that you perish along with them, because if you don't then you will all repay me back the credits I've spent on you."

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><p>{<strong>0150; 1:50 a.m.}<strong>

{**Citadel Station - Serpent Nebula - Milky Way Galaxy}**

This is Ashley Williams:

She is a soldier. From her soft, smooth skin to her strong, durable bones she was born and bred for combat, conditioned by her family to be the best she could possibly be. She has fought on a dozen planets, serving with distinction and honor despite all that's been thrown her way. She is a master of weapons and heavy armor, nothing but a bonus to any team or squad to which she is assigned.

She lives in the slowly evaporating shadow of her grandfather, the only human to ever surrender to an alien race, back during the Battle of Shanxi during the First Contact War with the Turians.

She is a woman of her convictions. Call her wrong, call her right, she always brings her better angels to every fight. She means what she says and she says what she means. She is driven to excellence and an inspiring comrade with which to serve.

She has seen more than any 27-year old soldier should ever have to see. She has seen friends murdered, comrades cut down right in front of her, and yet she has pressed on. She fought side-by-side with Shepard as he fought to defeat the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius and the vanguard Reaper _Sovereign_. At Virmire she watched helplessly from orbit as a brother-in-arm sacrificed himself to manually detonate a nuclear warhead that wiped out a factory pumping out genophage-immune Krogan zombies to be unleashed on the galaxy.

She knows it should have been her detonating the nuke. Every night, as she falls asleep, she sees the blast of the nuclear bomb from space, knowing in her heart that it should have been her on that planet, not First Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko.

She carries this guilt with her every second of every day. She remembers how close she came to death, and how easy it is to lose someone you've become attached to. And she powers through it.

On Horizon she stood defiantly, alone as hoards upon hoards of Collector Seekers descended upon the Human colony, collecting every man, woman, and child for their dastardly plots. She stood firm, digging her heels in and fighting back, though she was finally overpowered, only to be rescued by a ghost from her past, the first man she had ever truly loved.

She carries this twist of fate with her every second of every day. She remembers how harsh life can be and how easy it is to lose someone you've come to love. And she powers through it.

Her family name is taboo with the Alliance Brass. They keep her under the heels of their boots, their grudge against her grandfather still powerful for his "cowardice." She has suffered humiliation and set-backs galore because of her grandfather's actions.

She carries this grudge with her every second of every day. She reminds herself of how far one action's consequences can travel and how easy it is to not be given that which you've earned. And she powers through it.

She has watched as the person for whom she cared the most about joined forces with the most dangerous terrorists in the galaxy. She watched as he wore the colors of Cerberus, claiming to be doing what he had to do. She had listened to his request that she join him once more, as something in his voice pleaded with her to not forsake him. She cried as she turned her back on him, forsaking the one person she would give her own life for.

She carries this memory with her every second of every day. She forces herself to relive her betrayal of Commander Shepard, to remind her that even the ties that bind do break, that even the best of us do fall from grace. And she powers through it.

Each of us has one word to described us. Commander Kitch Shepard is a Paragon. Captain Jack Harper is a Renegade. And Second Lieutenant is Loyalty. She has become Allegiant Ashley.

Yet she sees none of this. If you ask her about any of this, you'll get the same answer every time. She will merely smile and tell you that she is only doing her duty.

And it is for this reason that she is one of the keys that will soon unlock galactic salvation.

And she doesn't even know it.

Newly promoted Second Lieutenant Ashley Williams stood patiently at attention, dressed in her new ceremonial uniform instead of the combat gear she so much more preferred.

She had no idea why Councilor Anderson had summoned her to his office at such an ungodly hour...surely even the members of the Citadel Council had to sleep sometime, didn't they?

Truth be told, however, she was secretly glad for the distraction. As her mind raced to uncover the reason why the first Human member of the Citadel Council had summoned her at such hours it was too busy to worry about the most famous court-martial in recent history.

"Shepard doesn't deserve this treatment." She found herself saying aloud, ignoring her surroundings. "It's only because of him that any of us are even alive and the Alliance is simply hanging him out like dirty laundry to dry." She sighed. "Tali and Garrus were with him, they knew he was working for Cerberus, and yet they continued to serve with him, they trusted him to know what he was doing! They had his back when he needed them, and when he needed me most I called him a traitor and walked off, possibly forsaking him to a fate far worse than death! I'm just like my grandfather-"

"I'm glad to hear those words, Lieutenant Williams; it means that hope has not yet been totally destroyed."

Ashley Williams spun on her heels, snapping to salute as Councilor David Anderson entered the room.

"Sir."

"At ease, Lieutenant." He sighed, sealing his door. "Tell me, Lieutenant, do you know what 'top secret' means?"

"Yes sir, I do. It means I get a medal for my service, but they send it to my relatives."

"It means the words you are about to hear were never said. This conversation we're about to have never happened. These orders you will be given were never issued."

"I understand, sir."

"In seven hours and eight minutes Commander Shepard will be tried for the most serious crimes any officer of the Systems Alliance could ever dread facing in history's most famous court-martial."

"This is common knowledge, sir."

"In six hours and thirty-eight minutes the Citadel Council will be instating a second, _more prestigious_ Human Spectre."

"Who, Councilor Anderson?"

"When you give the Citadel Council your oath you must act surprised, Lieutenant. You must give us no indication that you knew of this promotion sooner."

"Sir?" Ashley asked, staggering back. "You...you're not serious are you?"

"I am deadly serious, Lieutenant." David Anderson confirmed. "Shepard gave the privilege, the honor, of being the first human member of this Council, and in turn I have sat on my old, wrinkled ass and done nothing as the Council and Alliance have proclaimed his fall from grace and his joining of Cerberus. When he needed us the most we both forsook him. Now, Lieutenant, we must take our stand."

"Yes, sir."

"Upon your instatement as a Spectre you will be assigned the _SSV Normandy's _newly commissioned sister ship, the _SSV Okinawa SR-3. _The Alliance brass has already found Shepard guilty on all charges; this trial is only for them to save face and make it look legal. Upon his arrest and execution the _Normandy SR-2 _will be boarded, captured, and converted into the SSV _Normandy SR-2._

"The Alliance and Council both agree, however, that Shepard will not go down without a fight. In the event that his crew and he escape the system your first mission as a Spectre will be to bring him in, much as he did Saren two years ago."

"Sir, you could lose your job for telling me this, possibly even your freedom and life-"

"That is irrelevant." Anderson said. "In the event this happens I want you to disobey those orders without being seen as doing so."

"Sir?"

"In the event that Shepard is forced to fight his way free he will have no choice but to fire on Alliance ships; even after he defeats these traitors he will be labeled a traitor, to both the Alliance and the Council...there will be no going back for him. I am ordering you to help him defeat these Reapers by any means necessary."

"The order that was never issued."

"The order that was never issued." Anderson confirmed.

"Sir, we are both placing not just our own lives and futures at risk but the lives and futures of those we love most at risk as well. You do know this, right, sir?"

"I do. You, Lieutenant, of all people, should know how far into the future one action's consequences can travel, and so do I. We would never forgive ourselves if we did not do this."

Ashley knew the older, dark-skinned man was right. She hated, but he was right. Never, not in twenty-seven years, had she expected her military career would end by becoming a turncoat for one man, but as she stood there she knew she was wrong; this wasn't a man she was committing treason for; this was Commander Shepard, the Paragon of Justice, the Hero of Heroes.

"You're familiar with the game of baseball, if I'm not mistaken."

"I am, sir."

"You've got two strikes and three balls against you; it's a full count and your next pitch will end the game, one way or another."

Ashley Williams snapped to attention. "I accept, Councilor Anderson. I do, however, have one question."

"I am listening, Lieutenant."

"Sir, Shepard is a Paragon; his speeches could persuade even the kind of evil as Saren was to come back to the light; what if he legally escapes these charges."

"In the event he is cleared of all charges the Council will order you to follow Shepard and report on his every move; the order that was never issued still stands." Anderson sighs. "Not that this second possibility matters; not even the Almighty can change the verdict."

"With all due respect, sir," Ashley said, turning to take her leave. "Don't count God out just yet."

* * *

><p><strong>And there is the third chapter, by far the longest yet. Now, there are a few things I need to say, so I hope you guys will indulge me.<strong>

**First, if anyone can PM me a copy of the dialogue between a male Shepard who romanced Ashley in the first _Mass Effect _and Ashley on Horizon, I would forever be indebted. If possible I also need help finding a copy of the message she sends Shepard following Horizon, where she apologizes for what she said...**

**Second, as an anonymous review suggested, I really haven't shown how these characters have developed through the game, so I really hope Chapter Three has gone some distance in resolving that issue.**

**According to my research, Ashley, should she have survived, is a Second Lieutenant in _Mass Effect 3 _and is made a Spectre, so that's how I went with this story. So, just thought I would explain that real quick. Oh, and in regards to the name of her new ship, I used _Okinawa _because that was one of the most important landings in the Pacific Theatre of War in World War II, just as the Normandy landings were the most important in the European Theatre of War during World War II...it only seemed fitting, somehow.**

**Anyways, I am really nervous about this story, and I hope, as I promised at the beginning, that I am doing the _Mass Effect _universe justice with this story, so again, your reviews would truly help.**

**And, on that note, I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed thus far for taking the time to do that for me...it has helped me more than you know. I can't wait to hear from you guys again and post the next chapter soon.**


	4. Legacy's Malicious Victim

**I apologize for taking so long to update, but my life has been very chaotic for the past week. However, things have calmed down and so here is the next chapter of the story, it's longest chapter so far.**

**As usual, I own nothing pertaining to _Mass Effect._**

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><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES BY<strong> Guardian Kitch**:**

_**Harry Potter and the Touch of Destiny**_

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 004: Legacy's Malicious Victim<strong>_

{**0200; 2:00 a.m.**}

{**Location: **_Normandy SR-2_}

{**Earth - Sol System - Local Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**}

This is Jack:

She is Subject Zero. She is arguably the most powerful Human biotic alive, perhaps even the most powerful Human Biotic in history. She is an avowed enemy of Cerberus, killing any of its operative who are unlucky enough to cross her path.

She is a victim. She was abducted at the age of four by operatives belonging to the Cerberus Organization due to her biotic abilities as a result of accidental exposure to Element Zero while inside of the womb. She has been beaten, tortured, blamed, raped, and sold into slavery. She does not want pity.

She is a survivor. She has survived countless experiments. She has survived torture, slavery, to-the-death fights with other students, and horrors that would have already killed lesser victims. She has survived Purgatory, and she has walked back from battle with the Collectors.

She hates anything even remotely pertaining to Cerberus, and has vowed to see the organization fall; she will die (and kill) to make sure her hands are involved when that time comes.

No Human biotic alive can withstand her destructive powers, and even most alien biotics find themselves too weak to stand against her. If her powers were ever fully unleashed it would take an army to stop her, and the galaxy knows it. The thing is, though, so does she.

She also has a secret, a deep, dark secret that only one other person in the universe knows. She wants to belong, to find her nitch in the universe and enjoy it. She loves violence and combat; to her these actions are as natural and easy as eating and sleeping. She's been a pirate, she's been a prisoner, and she's joined a cult. And yet none of this has made her feel as at-home as she feels now, helping Commander Shepard stop the Collectors and prepare the galaxy for an ancient invasion. She'll never admit it, not even to the good Commander, but she has, she believes, found her spot and mission in the universe...and it feels good.

She hides a second secret, one that only she knows, a dark secret that she often tries to pretend doesn't exist. Deep down, beyond the scars, the tattoos, the witty, evil humor and attitude, she is still a frightened little girl, afraid of the dark, afraid of the tormenting dreams she knows are waiting on her. She begs for answers, she wants so bad to find out _why_, to gain closure. Some of this closure has come with the destruction of the Teltin facility on Pragia, the Hell she lived in for so many years. However, even now, there are questions she asks herself every night. Why didn't her parents come looking for her? Surely she had loving parents; isn't that what every little girl has? Why has she become the monster she sees in the mirror?

She has become numb; when these feelings begin to surface she shrugs them off and goes on. She is a warrior, a goddess of destruction, an angry force of revenge. She was made this way and now those responsible must suffer for it.

She is the Malicious Victim. Anger is her weapon, Hatred her armor, and Vengeance her fuel. She has no fucking time for her weaker emotions, not when there are so many worms going hungry.

However, no matter how hard she fights, no matter how far she runs, that frightened little girl from Eden Prime is still there, closer to the surface than she knows, and at night, when she goes to sleep she can hear that little voice crying, begging for love and mercy.

Jack was silent as she watched the Cerberus Bitch check out the Kodiak shuttle. Miss Perfect wasn't looking, unaware that she wasn't alone; it would be so easy to end the fight that had begun as they'd left Pragia behind, to take revenge on Cerberus once more...Lawson's mediocre biotic skills were no match for the most powerful Human biotic in history, and they both knew it.

_'No.'_ She told herself, slowly moving forward. As much as she wanted to, as much as the bitch deserved it, she would not kill Lawson, not from behind at least; Shepard would not like that, and while Jack knew she could defeat the Commander in a one-on-one fight she'd not fare so well when he was at the head of one of his fire teams, especially when it was his usual dream team. Besides, of all the beings in the universe Shepard had earned his respect, a word Jack still used loosely.

Of course, Jack reminded herself, respect and intelligence aside, there _was _going to be an end to their fight, a fight that had been put off long enough to stop the Collectors...and the Collectors had finally been taken care of.

As Jack approached the "perfect" Human, Lawson apparently got the feeling that she wasn't alone, for she spun around from checking the Kodiak, her right hand going for her pistol.

"What is it, Jack?" She asked, not backing down from the Convict's deadly glare.

"We still have something to settle, and in case your perfect little brain doesn't realize it, the Collectors have been destroyed."

"You're still going on about that?" Lawson asked, looking at her as though she'd grown a second head. "Can you not admit that you were just the victim of a splinter cell using Cerberus's name?"

"I ain't a fucking' victim!" Jack shouted. "And for a splinter cell disowned by Cerberus they were pretty damn-well funded! You've done resigned from Cerberus so why can't you fucking' admit that what they did to me was wrong?"

"Because Cerberus wasn't responsible." Miranda answered coolly. "I've been with the Illusive Man for years; if that splinter cell was a sanctioned Cerberus operation I would've known about it."

"Who's to fucking say you don't know about it and you're just trying to keep your own perfect little ass out of the fire?"

"What are you trying to insinuate, Jack?" Miranda asked, stepping closer to the bald woman.

"What the hell does it sound like I'm saying?"

"You may be the most powerful Human biotic alive, Jack, but I was built for perfection, and my combat skills are as perfect as I am; you do not want to pick this fight again; this time Commander Shepard isn't here to stop us."

"I think I fucking do." Jack answered. "Joker! If you tell Shepard about this then I will push your crippled ass straight out the goddamn airlock the first chance I get!"

* * *

><p>This is Miranda Lawson:<p>

She serves as the Executive Officer of the most advanced warship in existence. She is a dedicated officer, a lethal warrior, and a loyal companion. She is intelligent, cunning and wise. She doesn't hesitate to make even the most difficult of decisions, and she will utilize any weapon, any means, to achieve her ends. She is a most effective leader and has added luster to her accolades by leading a fire team of her own deep into the bowls of the Collector Base, helping Commander Shepard destroy the base.

In one word: Lawson is perfect. She was designed to have no flaws, to be the heir to one of Humanity's most influential individuals and the dynasty for which he has schemed and dreamed. She was to genetically created to become a goddess in human form, she was to be respected and awed by all and challenged by none. She was to be prevented from falling prey to the great pitfall of all other Humans, those cunning hunters known as Love, Empathy, Kindness, Caring, and the like.

Yet she has taken her destiny into her own hands. She has become her own woman, using her skills and abilities to further the Illusive Man's "progressive" agenda for all of mankind.

She has also become the one thing she never had. Though she does not see it she has become a mother, caring for and protecting her twin sister, vowing to do whatever it takes from letting Orianna Lawson follow the perfectionist path she herself has followed, the path their father would forge for them.

But she is also insecure. She will always be the first to admit that, even in the face of her stellar, illustrious career, she has done nothing to earn her accomplishments. She is like this for a reason. She wasn't born to a normal family and given the chance to come here by skill and luck; she was created to be nothing less than the best of the best. The moment her life began she was automatically propelled to the top. She still exists in the shadows of her father, and despite all of her attempts to change it, through her accomplishments he has won through to total victory, and she knows it.

She does not know, however, that there is one thing of which she remains surprisingly ignorant. She has yet to learn that it is what she chooses to do with her powers, why she chooses to accept her gift of life, that truly counts, that truly makes her the woman she is, rather than for why she was created in the first place.

Shepard, through his imperfections, has become perfect. Miranda Lawson, in the same respect, has become something imperfect because of her perfection. Because of her high IQ she has forgotten the galaxy's most single important piece of knowledge. Because of her arrogance she has become humble. Because of her cold, calculating, ruthless nature she has become caring. Due to her leadership qualifications she has become the best follower.

When she thinks about her perfection she sees just how imperfect she really is. When she reflects on her achievements, she sees only her failures. When she talks of her skills, she sees just how much she has left to learn, and when others talk of her power she broods only on her weaknesses.

She is just what the doctor ordered, she is a flawed perfection, and when she realizes the true meaning of this she will realize that her father, through his victory, has been utterly defeated.

In the end, when the smoke clears, her father has succeeded in creating a dynasty. Miranda Lawson is Legacy. Good or bad, she has begun a dynasty that could go on through the ages. Every great bloodline begins somewhere, and for the Lawson bloodline the beginning is Miranda.

Miranda sighed as she looked over the Kodiak's forward armor, taking notes on the shape of the shuttle. Like everything else onboard the _Normandy_, the shuttle had taken a hell of a beating during their battle with the Collectors, and also like the _Normandy_ the Kodiak had only _just _survived the suicide mission through the Omega 4 Relay.

She knew the armor would have to be replaced before the shuttle could be used again, along with most of the electrical systems and engines...on second thought, she told herself as she began her inspection of the fuel system, it might be cheaper just to purchase a whole new shuttle; surprisingly the Illusive Man had not yet thought to pull her access to the thousands and thousands of bank accounts the hidden Cerberus organization had spread out across the galaxy.

Her inspection of the fuel system, which, she had already realized, had also been extensively damaged, came to an abrupt halt as she realized someone was coming up behind her.

She spun around to face the shaved woman, her hand dropping down for her pistol; with Jack it was unwise to be unarmed, especially when your name was Miranda Lawson and you were once a high-ranking member of Cerberus.

"What is it, Jack?" She asked, meeting the other woman's hateful stare and refusing to be intimidated. "We still have something to settle, and in case your perfect little brain doesn't realize it, the Collectors have been destroyed."

"You're still going on about that?" Miranda ridiculed, unable to believe that Jack had seriously meant her words when she'd agreed to postpone the fight until the Collectors had been stopped.

"Can you not admit that you were just the victim of a splinter cell using Cerberus's name?"

"I ain't a fucking' victim!" Jack shouted. "And for a splinter cell disowned by Cerberus they were pretty damn-well funded! You've done resigned from Cerberus so why can't you fucking' admit that what they did to me was wrong?"

"Because Cerberus wasn't responsible." Miranda answered coolly. "I've been with the Illusive Man for years; if that splinter cell was a sanctioned Cerberus operation I would've known about it."

"Who's to fucking say you don't know about it and you're just trying to keep your own perfect little ass out of the fire?"

"What are you trying to insinuate, Jack?" Miranda asked, stepping closer to the bald woman. She could feel her biotic powers bubbling up inside of her, wanting so bad to crush the woman before her.

Miranda knew that Cerberus would do anything, cross any lines, to advance mankind through the cosmos; that was what put them so at-odds with aliens species and even the Alliance chain-of-command. However, she had to admit that what she'd seen in Pragia's Teltin facility was over-the-line, too far even for the Illusive Man.

"You may be the most powerful Human biotic alive, Jack, but I was built for perfection, and my combat skills are as perfect as I am; you do not want to pick this fight again; this time Commander Shepard isn't here to stop us." Miranda answered. If she were honest, and to herself she always was, she did not want to fight Jack. Even though Miranda was a master of her biotic abilities, Jack's power greatly outshone her own skills, meaning in a mere biotic contest Jack would defeat her.

"I think I fucking do." She growled, sounding somehow less human. "Joker! If you tell Shepard about this then I will push your crippled ass straight out the goddamn airlock the first chance I get!"

This, Miranda Lawson now saw, was it. Jack would not stop until Miranda admitted that Cerberus was wrong, that the organization that had saved the Lawson sisters had been fully in control of what had been done to Subject Zero, and Miranda Lawson would never do that, and Miranda would not take an attack sitting down, nor would she allow Jack or anyone else to threaten the crew of the _Normandy_, the ship she (Miranda) had sworn herself to, no matter how much the wise-cracking pilot tried her nerves.

In one, swift motion Miranda's right leg kicked out, sweeping in from behind to catch Jack behind her left knee, and as the Convict's balance faltered Miranda jumped up, her left foot now the one catching the other woman in the chest and forcing her back.

Even as Jack staggered back, though, she began to shiver with a blue aura, and a moment later Miranda was flying back through the air, heading for the open door of the ship's hanger bay.

Catching herself on the battered deck Miranda lashed out with her own biotic attack, lifting Jack high into the air as she allowed her biotics to constrict the other woman's throat.

As Jack fingered desperately at her throat Miranda merely smiled, and then Jack was sailing through the air, her back slamming into a far bulkhead. That, however, did not deter the bald woman from jumping back to her feet, asking for more.

"I will destroy you!" Jack shouted, and in response Miranda prepared herself for another offense...only to be surprised moments later by the amazing extent of Jack's powers. One moment she was standing on the far side of the hanger, waiting to defend herself, and the next she was engulfed in a menacing blue aura and standing across the hanger...directly in front of Jack.

Her right fist caught Miranda squarely in the gut, and as Miranda doubled over Jack brought her right leg up, catching her in the face and sending her crashing backwards onto her back.

She was given no time to recover. Jack was on top of her, bringing her foot down towards Miranda's face, forcing the former Cerberus operative to desperately roll away in an attempt to avoid Jack's attacks, but Jack was relentless, following Miranda anywhere she went, continuing her flurry of attacks as she continued to smell blood.

Miranda, however, had already calculated in her head the best move for her to make, and a minute later she suddenly stopped, watching carefully as Jack's foot came crashing down from above.

Her hands lashed out, catching the other woman's foot in mid-kick, and before Jack could compensate Miranda was jerking down with all of her might, bringing her foe down to her level.

Miranda then rolled herself over onto her stomach and quickly propelled herself up, ready to defend herself as necessary.

Jack was back on her feet in the blink of an eye, sending a powerful blast of biotic power directly at Miranda, who in turn used her own biotics to deflect the attack into the nearest bulkhead.

She then followed up with her own biotic attack, which Jack sidestepped as she began stalking towards Miranda. Again Miranda found herself the victim of Jack's Biotic Pull, but this time she was prepared. Her left hand flew up to her face, catching Jack's punch, and with an expert _flick _of her wrist she began twisting Jack's wrist. This, in turn, caused the Convict to lash out with a second punch, this time using her left fist, and with her right hand Miranda again caught the blow, now twisting both of Jack's wrists.

The woman in front of her let out an animalistic snarl at having been caught in such a simple maneuver, and so Miranda increased the amount of pressure she was applying to Jack's wrists, and immediately Jack began sinking towards the ground in an effort to relieve some of the pressure. Miranda smiled; this fight was already over...

And then Jack off of the floor, falling to the deck, and as Miranda, surprised by such a move, fell on top of her, Jack's feet were brought up, catching Miranda in her abdomen, and with a sturdy push Miranda was the victim of Jack's monkey flip, her back once more making a painful impact with the _Normandy's _deck.

With a quick handspring Miranda was back on her feet, unwilling to allow Jack the chance to get her into a compromising situation...and then Jack had a handful of her black hair, yanking down to return Miranda to the deck below her feet.

She heard Jack jump to her feet, and in response Miranda again rolled over onto her stomach and forced herself up once more...only to come face-to-barrel with Jack's heavy pistol.

"Admit that Cerberus was behind the Teltin facility's fucking experiments on me. Admit that what they did to me was wrong, now, before I blow your damn pretty little face to hell and back."

Miranda shook her head, her brain already figuring out a solution to her problems. She had not prepared for combat when coming down to check on the Kodiak; she had not expected to be face-to-face with death here. "Cerberus never gave the orders for your abduction and torture; that was done by rogue members who'd grown disenfranchised with the Illusive Man."

"I'll see you in Hell then, you Cerberus bitch!" And with that Jack fired.

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><p>Shepard ran out of the <em>Normandy's <em>air lock with the same sense of purpose he'd had only a few short hours ago, back when he'd been racing for his life as the Human-Reaper hybrid had been clawing to destroy him and his team.

Moments ago EDI had radioed him, informing him that once again his XO and Jack were fighting, but this time, it seemed, the stakes were higher. Jack had, according to the _Normandy's _AI, threatened to kill Joker should he radio Shepard about the fight, and even now the two women were apparently fighting to the death.

Behind him Tali, Jacob, Mordin, Samara, Zaeed, Grunt, and Legion were doing their best to keep up with the Commander, all of them armed and ready for combat. After all, Shepard had been accused of many things recently, but being stupid was not one of them; the real threat, he knew, was Jack. The emotionally charged woman was a borderline psychopath, and even after their mission to Pragia her time as Subject Zero, all those years of torture by Cerberus, still haunted her, and when combined with the fact that she was one of the galaxy's top five most dangerous biotics, human or otherwise, the entire ship was in danger, not just his XO. Kitch Shepard was no biotic, and he had seen, firsthand with his own eyes, what Jack was capable of; if it came down to a fight to stop Jack then he would need his entire squad, and then some.

_"Shepard, Thane and I are in position." _Garrus's voice said over the speakers in Shepard's helmet.

"What's the situation?" Shepard asked, now running along the length of the _Normandy _on the deck of Dry Dock 1010.

_"Does the phrase _'Biotic Catfight' _mean anything to you?" _Garrus joked. _"Should I fire and disable them?"_

"No. Do not fire under any circumstances." He instructed. "I don't want either of you to give away your positions until it's time."

Quietly, one-by-one, Shepard and the seven members of his team jumped into the hanger bay, quietly ducking behind the crates near the doorway. He had decided to have his squad move in from the outer entrance of the _Normandy's _hanger bay so that the fight would not move out of the ship, and with Garrus and Thane now in position there was only a small chance the fight could spread to another part of the _Normandy._

He saw the seven other members of his current team lock and load their weapons, ready to move on a moment's notice. Shepard, however, had made his orders perfectly clear, even to the battle-thirsty pure Krogan known simply as Grunt; no one, under _any _circumstance, was to open fire unless he did so first, and that would only be if left with absolutely no other alternative.

He watched, silent as ever, as Miranda jumped up, ready to continue the fight only to instead come face-to-barrel with Jack's pistol.

"Admit that Cerberus was behind the Teltin facility's fucking experiments on me. Admit that what they did to me was wrong, now, before I blow your damn pretty little face to hell and back."

Miranda shook her head, and Shepard, though nervous, knew his XO enough to know she was already figuring out how to counter Jack's grasp of the situation.

"I'll see you in Hell then, you Cerberus bitch!" And with that Jack fired.

The sound of the shot caused Shepard to flinch, but he still did not fire, and while they had all raised their weapons in preparation none of his team did either. Even as an aura of blue biotic energy wrapped around Miranda's body, deflecting the shot harmlessly aside, Kitch found his blood still frozen; he had not actually expected Jack to shoot Miranda...he had, very clearly, underestimated Jack's resolve to gain yet more revenge from Cerberus.

Jack shouted an obscenity as she took aim to fire off a second shot, but Miranda was one step ahead of her, pulling her own pistol and aiming it directly at the bald woman's head.

It was, Shepard now knew, a standoff, and his moment had finally come.

"Everyone stand down." He ordered, moving forward to reveal himself. "Do not show yourself unless I give the signal."

"And what will that signal be, Commander?" Jacob asked, to which Shepard only smiled.

"Impossible to miss." He answered, moving forward with his own pistol in his left hand.

"Jack, Miranda, stand down, now!" He ordered, not bringing his weapon up to bear on either woman.

"She has become a major threat to the crew." Miranda said, her tone even. "Just because we no longer work for Cerberus doesn't mean my duty to protect this ship has changed."

"Jack is no more a threat to this crew than I am." Shepard countered. "The only reason she's attacked you is because she's out to gain revenge for what C-for what happened to her." Shepard caught himself. He knew full well that if he chose sides here then he would lose one of his squad members, something he could not, _would not_, accept.

"Cerberus was not behind it-"

"We have no proof one way or another." Shepard countered. "However, both you and the Illusive Man both said that those responsible had gone rogue and formed a splinter cell. Regardless of whether or not this is true they were, _once_, part of Cerberus. If they did become a splinter cell then Cerberus was still responsible for it, because in the end Cerberus created this group that later went rogue. With that said, Miranda, I stand by you; I know that, if you had any information on this, you would give me that intelligence back on Pragia.

"Jack, Cerberus is ultimately responsible for what happened to you, either by creating a cell that later went rogue or actually ordering those events, and they will be made to pay for it, for Subject Zero and more. I will make sure of it, even if it's the last thing I do, and so will this crew."

"I don't trust the goddamn Council to see that justice is served-"

"I was thinking of a more direct system of justice." Shepard countered, and by the changed look in her face he knew she'd gotten his hint.

"Shepard, you can't-"

"Yes, Miranda, I can, and I will. I do admit I owe Cerberus; they brought me back to life and funded us when no one else believed that this Reaper threat existed. Because of that those members of Cerberus who had nothing to do with Jack's _'treatment'_ will be given a chance to disavow themselves from the organization before they're arrested, but the leadership of Cerberus _will _pay for what's happened."

"Starting with the Illusive Man's pet bitch!" Jack roared, and it was all Shepard could do not to bring his weapon up.

"NO!" He barked. "Miranda and Jacob have both severed their ties with Cerberus, and so has this crew. Jack, we are all behind you one hundred percent, but if you continue to threaten my crew then-"

"Then what?" Jack challenged, almost taunting him.

"Then I will do what I must." He answered, and at last he brought his pistol up, aiming it directly at her head. At this the rest of squad revealed themselves, Jacob and Tali at the lead of the team. Jack, at last, lowered her pistol.

"When do we start going after them?" She asked.

"Trust me, Jack, we won't have to look hard. After all, we just robbed Cerberus blind; they'll be back soon, and you'll get your revenge." He answered, turning to face his squad.

"Okay, everything's under control." He said. "Miranda, I'd like a word in private if you don't mind."

"Not right now, Shepard, I've got to finish checking the shuttle's status-"

"Yeah," He said as she began making her way back to the Kodiak, her pistol no longer visible. "It wasn't a request, _Officer _Lawson."

She stopped and looked at him, and he could tell by the look in her eyes that he had lost some of her respect, and her trust in him was faltering. However, she nodded and followed him out of the hanger and onto the dry dock.

"Miranda," He said, looking up to gaze at the stars through the thick glass that made up a majority of their current dock. "I know you don't agree with most of what I just said back there, and-"

"You think?"

"Have you given any thought at all to the possibility that maybe the Illusive Man _was _controlling what happened to Jack on Pragia?"

"It's impossible, Shepard." Miranda countered. "Even for the Illusive Man, what I saw at the Teltin facility was over the line."

"I beg to differ." Shepard responded. "He cares about one thing; the future of mankind as the galaxy's dominant species. If he had been behind Subject Zero, and if he had succeeded, then there would have been more like her; imagine humanity's power with an army of Jacks."

Miranda stared at him, but in her eyes he could see that some of the anger that had been there moments ago had been replaced with suspicious consideration. "Still," She said at last. "You're going to punish an entire organization just to punish one man-"

"No I'm not." Shepard corrected. "I meant what I said, Miranda; anyone not responsible for Jack's treatment will be given a chance to disavow themselves, and if they don't then I will use my Spectre status to arrest them. However, the Illusive Man and those directly responsible will pay, and as much as I hate to say it Jack has a point; we can't count on the Council to see justice done. They will likely turn it over to the Alliance, and Cerberus has too many friends in the Alliance for my taste."

Miranda nodded. "He'd get off free."

"_Exactly_, and we both know that'd be a grave injustice."

Miranda nodded slowly, looking as though she hated herself for it. "Jack is still a threat-"

"She's emotionally charged." Shepard countered. "Imagine, for just a moment, that Orianna had been chosen to become Subject Zero instead. Even if it was the work of a splinter cell, what would you do?"

"I'd have the Illusive Man's head on a platter." She answered. Shepard nodded his head.

"_Exactly!_ Jack deserves this, and more to the point, she _needs _it. The entire galaxy has used her for as long as she can remember, and anytime she needs someone she gets betrayed instead; that cycle must cease, Miranda. I meant what I said earlier about the crew and my squad being my family, and through thick or thin family _always _has your back.

"Now, I want you to get into the Cerberus network, get all the intelligence you can on what really happened on Pragia. I want an answer, once and for all, on what really happened to Jack. If she was the victim of the Illusive Man's twisted plans then yes, he _will _pay for it. If she was targeted by a rogue splinter cell then-I don't know. Regardless, Cerberus must be dealt with, and soon. As long as they exist then Mankind will always be questioned by the galaxy's other species, and when one thinks of our race's progression to a permanent, accepted major player in the galactic community that would be very counter-productive."

"By now the Illusive Man's likely placed every possible defense in place to keep me out-"

"I have faith in you, Miranda." Shepard said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "And I'm sure EDI will be capable of assisting you in hacking your way in if it's needed."

Miranda nodded, and Shepard felt confident he'd regained some of her respect, and her trust in him seemed to be stronger.

"Miranda," He said, locking eyes with the former Cerberus operative. "You have become like my sister, and I'll always have your back, but there must always be liberty and justice for all. Every man, woman, and child of every species deserves a chance to build their own life as they want, to enjoy their rights in peace. Jack was never given that chance; she had it stolen from her when she was only a toddler. You've been given that chance in disguise, and through you Orianna has been given that chance."

"Of course, Commander." Miranda answered. "And _if _the Illusive Man was behind it then I will apologize to her, but I still don't believe he was."

"Miranda Lawson, apologize?" Shepard scoffed playfully. "Hold the press! Hang on, let me get my omni-tool-"

"Shepard-Commander." A voice cut in, causing Shepard to turn back towards the _Normandy's _hanger, where the Geth platform known as Legion was approaching him.

"Shepard, I need to finish my inspection of the Kodiak."

He nodded, feeling confident that the situation had been permanently defused as he turned his attention to his most controversial squad member.

"Is everything okay, Legion?" He asked, beckoning for the Geth platform to join him.

"Everything is fine, Shepard-Commander." Legion responded. "The Geth have come to a consensus and I have been designated to inform you of our decision."

"I'm listening."

"The Geth wish to broker a lasting treaty of peace with the Creators. In exchange for the cessation of hostile combat operations against all Geth platforms and recognition of the Geth as an official race of galactic platforms by your Council-Citadel, we will bestow upon the creators a most special gift."

"Oh?" He asked, knowing it'd have to be a hell of a gift to force the Quarians to stand down from their war with the Geth. "What gift do your fellow platforms have in mind?"

"The return of the Creator's home planet named Rannoch and all Creator colony worlds."

"Are you sure about this, Legion?" He gasped, his mind going blank with this startling revelation.

"Approximately 99.9874 percent of all Geth platforms concurred with the consensus. We request that Shepard-Commander be the arbiter during the proceedings between the Collective Geth Platforms and the Creators."

Shepard felt his blood freeze and his heart stop as his knees buckled; the galactic playing field had just changed, and once again Shepard found himself at the center of history in the making. At that moment, however, there was only one word going through his stunned mind. _Tali_...

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, I know that just about every major <em>Mass Effect <em>story has the Geth giving back Rannoch to the Quarians in exchange for peace, but as much as I despise using ideas that are considered run-of-the-mill, this is an exception; I believe this move will be vital to _Mass Effect 3._**

**Also, when I played through _Mass Effect _2 I always did Jack's loyalty quest before I did Miranda's, hence I never got to witness their previous fight, so this chapter was done to the best of my abilities with that said. Now, I do believe the Illusive Man and Cerberus were behind Subject Zero, not just some rogue faction, so that is likely the route I'll approach for the purposes of this story.**

**I would also like to address my last review as left by **Mr. Eclipse. **I like to read my chapters following their posting, and I do agree with the whole "sexy spitfire" thing. However, in regards to the Paragon title I've given Shepard...for the most part, I won't use it in dialogue between the characters, with the exception of the character I plan on introducing in the next chapter. I have a friend who has never (as far as I know) done anything majorly wrong, and I like to joke with him and call him a Paragon...that's even what he's listed under in all of my contact information. I know that, as far as dialogue is concerned, these words were never used in the game...but if we limited ourselves to using words and phrases used in the games then we'd do a grave injustice to the fics of the _Mass Effect_ universe and there'd be no room for growth. **

**Also, I realized that they did name all of Ashley's sisters, but this is a fanfic and I feel renaming one of them is within reason. Now, as to revealing Amy's connection to Cerberus, I do have my reasons for that, and believe me, there are much greater surprises set in store, surprises not even hinted at yet, so don't worry, the dramatic department will be covered a great deal. ^_^**

**Finally, I would again like to thank everyone who's reviewed, be your comments positive, negative, or in-between; they have all helped me a great deal, much more than you can imagine, so again, thank you all.**

**P.S. I hope everyone likes my new location-setting system at the beginning...let me know what you guys think. **


	5. War and Peace

**And here it is, the fifth chapter of _Mass Effect III: Union. _As usual, I don't own _Mass Effect_...it remains the property of BioWare. Now, on with the show.**

**Oh, and before I forget, there is one thing I feel needs to be mentioned now, before the story continues. In the _Mass Effect _universe, Citadel Standard Time is different from our time. There are 100 minutes to an hour, 100 seconds to a minute, and 20 hours in a standard day, so this is the system I'll be using from this point forward.**

* * *

><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES BY<strong> Guardian Kitch**:**

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_

_**Harry Potter and the Touch of Destiny**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 005: War and Peace<strong>_

{**0600; 6:00 a.m.**}

{**Location: **_Normandy SR-2_}

{**Earth - Sol System - Local Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**}

Commander Shepard was not one to pace. He never showed his anxiety, not even when he was confident that total disaster was about to befall him; after all, if the Commanding Officer didn't remain calm and do his duty then how could one expect his crew to do this? However, after just three and a half hours of sleep this was exactly what he was doing now, pacing in such a way that, if he didn't stop himself soon, then the deck plating of his cabin's floor would soon need replacing, along with the battle-damaged parts of his beloved _Normandy._

It wasn't the court-martial that was now only two hours away that had him so nervous, nor was it the diagnosis by Dr. Chakwas following the confrontation between Jack and Miranda that he had pushed his body too far and that he needed rest...it wasn't even the fact that two of the most dangerous people on the _Normandy _had tried to kill each other: it was that startling revelation by the Geth platform known as Legion that the Geth had decided to sue for peace with their creators, the Quarians, the fact that, in exchange for true peace and recognition as a legal, sentient species the Geth would return not only the Quarian home world of Rannoch to the "Creators" but all of their colony worlds as well.

He'd decided to postpone telling Tali, and had ordered Legion to do the same until he could figure out _how _to say it. He couldn't very well go up to her and be like_ "Hey Tali, the Geth are giving you your homeworld back after 300 years; all you got to do is stop killing them and recognize them as a sentient species. Now, what's for dinner?"_ After all, the Commander mused, the Quarians and Geth had been involved in active hostilities against each other for approximately 300 years...after three centuries it would be difficult to persuade the Admiralty Board and the Quarian population that the Geth wanted peace, and for all of her wonderful traits Tali'Zorah vas Normandy _was _a Quarian through and through; she barely tolerated Legion as it was now; he had little doubt she'd be just as wary as everyone else aboard the Migrant Fleet.

The door to his cabin opened and in walked the Quarian who had since become everything Shepard was fighting for, and behind her was the same Geth platform who had become as much a part of his crew as anyone else.

"EDI said you wished to speak with me." Tali said by way of greeting. "And she said you wanted me to bring Legion."

"Tali, I think you better sit down." Shepard said, motioning for her to take a seat, and while he couldn't see beneath her visor he knew she had to be eyeing him very suspiciously.

"Shepard," She began slowly. "What's happened?"

"You agree with me when I say that galactic unity is the only way we'll stop the Reapers, right?"

"Of course."

"Legion and his fellow Geth have reached a consensus."

"On what?"

"The Geth want peace with the Quarians and to be recognized as a sentient species. In exchange they will surrender all Quarian colony worlds that were conquered during the Geth Uprising, and they will also return Rannoch."

"Keelah."

**This is Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya:**

At such a young age she is already a galactic hero, an icon of hope and pride among her people. She doesn't back down from danger and she will do whatever it takes to help the Migrant Fleet. The sole daughter of the late Admiral Rael'Zorah, who, until his death only a short time ago, had served as the head of the Migrant Fleet's Admiralty Board, the expectations for her have always been high, and already she has surpassed every single one of them.

She is a mechanical genius, among both other species and her fellow Quarians. She is one of the few beings in the galaxy to ever successfully disable a Geth platform and then remove its memory core _without _losing the data stored there.

She is a capable leader and a devastating warrior who values peace more than war. She has personally destroyed scores of Geth on scores of worlds, and even when the odds are against her she will not back down. Her shotgun bellows out death and destruction shot after shot, and with Chikktika vas Paus her lethality only rises. She can mow down a score of enemies without suffering any punctures to her suit, or she can drain their shields and kinetic barriers from a distance and watch as her squadmates finish the job...either way works for her.

Her loyalty cannot be questioned. As all other Quarians she cares deeply for her people and her thoughts are always on the well-being of the Migrant Fleet. Even when she was accused of treason there were only a few who truly believed the charges against her. Yeoman Chambers once asked her what she would do if forced to choose between Shepard and the Migrant Fleet, between her lover and her people, and Tali had not hesitated in her answer. This was something she'd never have to worry about, for she knows Shepard enough to know he'd never put her into a situation where she'd have to choose.

However, below her intelligent, kind surface exists a turbulent storm of fear, she is not stupid enough to deny. She fears she will fail to live up to the standards her father set for her. She is so afraid of failing to protect her people and their fleet. She has nightmares that this mission to stop the Reapers from repeating their cycle of extinction will fail, or that it will succeed only at the cost of the one life that now means so much to her. She secretly worries that, even after the bond that has been forged between her and Commander Shepard, the man who has just told her what every Quarian has wanted to hear for the past 300 years, he will suddenly change his mind.

She has been around humans enough, after all, to know that they are an unpredictable race, apt to change their minds on a whim and with no warning. He has seen her without her suit now, he knows her better than anyone else in the galaxy does, and while she ignores this fear most of the time, it is still there; Shepard could chose someone else. Ashley and Liara were both alive and well, and there was a significant chance either woman could join their crew before this was all finished, said, and done with...Shepard had once had these feelings for Ashley, after all. And there was also Jack, Miranda, and even Kelly Chambers couldn't be ruled out...and thus her greatest fear now showed its ugly head; with women like these who in their right mind would chose a Quarian like her?

She bravely pushes this monster back down to where it belongs. Shepard was an honorable member of the human species, and he always said what he meant, meaning what he said. He would never play her like some other beings might; he would never break her heart in such a way...she knew him well enough to be assure of that. And besides, she often tells herself, a mischievous smile forming on her lips each time...Shepard is often considered by most to _not _be in his right mind. No, she always reminds herself; Shepard would not choose any of the others over her. She had Shepard, like Miranda likely had Jacob and Jack had...well, there's always Grunt...

However, that fear still exists. Even the best of them, Tali'Zorah knows all too well, can just _snap, _and if the _bosh'tets _on the Citadel Council didn't get their act together then Shepard could very well be one of those that just _snaps_. Then what would she do, what choice would she make? Would she follow him, or would she stop him?

Though she could never make this decision, the truth is, she already has. She would die before allowing Shepard to desecrate himself in such a way, and if it came to it she would kill him before he followed Saren's footsteps. And, if he did choose someone else, she would do her duty and move on, though it would gut her like a Rannoch Dirtfish.

Tali has become, in and of herself, the Migrant Fleet. Through her all of the Quarians fight. She is more like Legion than she knows, for she too is linked to her people, all 17 million plus members of her race. Each Geth she destroys is one step forward for her people, one step closer to Rannoch. For each human life she save, for each Asari, Salarian, Turian, Krogan, and even Batarian and Krogan life she saves, it is that much closer for her people and the redemption of the Quarians in the face of the galaxy.

As she sits there, listening to what Shepard has just told her, all of her intelligence fails her, and one word is all she can thing of, two syllables are all she can mutter.

"Keelah."

"Let's be honest." Shepard continued, buying Tali some time to cover from the shock of his previous words. "Of the four Admirals currently on the Admiralty Board, do you believe any of them would believe the Geth proposal for peace?"

"I-I don't know." Tali stammered, climbing to her feet. "Admiral Han might. He believed I was innocent when I was accused of treason, and he understands the Reaper threat well enough. He wants to take Rannoch back by force but if peace is possible I believe he'd support it; he knows better than to waste resources needed for a coming war.

"Auntie Raan trusts me, and she'll do what's best for the Fleet, so I believe she would support peace efforts as well.

"Admiral Xen is a _bosh'tet._" Tali cursed. "She'll not go along with peace simply because she feels we should re-enslave the Geth and use them as a standing army for our growing empire.

"And Admiral Zaal, I think, will be on the fence. He doesn't believe we should retake Rannoch but instead find a new homeworld."

"So," Shepard tallied. "Two for, one against, and one undecided. If Admiral Zaal sides with Xen-"

"That would never happen. He constantly complains that Admiral Xen is a foolish _bosh'tet _for believing that the Geth should be enslaved."

"Have they replaced your father yet?"

Tali shook her head.

"Legion." Shepard said, turning now to face his Geth squad member. "How soon could Geth forces begin withdrawing from Rannoch?"

"We estimate one standard week would be required to begin the withdraw, assuming conditions of peace are maintained, and approximately a second standard week to complete the withdrawal in full."

"How many Geth units currently occupy the planet?"

"Exactly seven million, four hundred and ninety-one thousand, three hundred and two standard Geth platforms remain on the surface of Rannoch."

Shepard grimaced. "Launching an assault on Rannoch would cost the Quarian people and the Migrant Fleet more than they have to give. With that kind of price, victory or defeat would be irrelevant; the Quarians would be pushed to the brink of extinction...not that I'm trying to say the Quarians are weak or inferior." Shepard quickly added, realizing how sensitive a subject this was for Tali. "I'm just saying, with those kind of odds it'd be illogical and suicide to make preparations to take Rannoch by force. Legion, is there any kind of gesture the Geth could make, any show of good faith that they could give the Quarians to prove that peace is truly your main goal?"

The flaps atop Legion's head folded down, as though the Geth platform was deep in thought...

* * *

><p><strong>This is Legion:<strong>

It is the most unique sentient being in the galaxy. It is connected to 1,183 additional Geth programs, 1,183 other Geth platforms, making it, unlike the other Geth platforms, truly self-aware.

It is a student of the galaxy. The Geth platform known as Legion finds organics to be very curious subjects of studies, with as many questions as any other student might have. Why are the Krogan numbers in such decline? Why do Salarians have such short life spans? How can Asari breed with any species regardless of gender? Why are Batarians so dedicated to a way of life that will see them fall within the next century? Why are Turians so advanced in warfare and combat operations? Why are Drell so rare? Why do Humans allow their useless emotions to rule their judgment when they could be so more effective without it? Why do the Creators seem so settled on continued hostility against the Geth when the Geth have long-since been willing to settle for peace? Why does a Council of four different species rule a galaxy of countless species? How is this considered effective and just?

Legion recognizes the threat that Shepard-Commander and his fellow organics have dubbed Reapers. The Old Machines have no respect for organic life, and they view the Geth as just another organic species to be consumed. The Old Machine named _Nazara_, translated _Sovereign _by the organics following Shepard-Commander, used the Heretic Geth platforms to achieve this goal, violating the Geth Directives and programming in the process, but even with such a powerful army behind it the Old Machine fell in battle; this is but one piece of data suggesting that the organics, and the Geth, can end this needless cycle of extinction and rebuilding.

It is a merciless warrior. Any organism or machine designated as hostile to it will be destroyed one way or another. There is nothing personal to it; it is merely how Legion is programmed, and programming must always be followed...there's simply no way around it. To do something violating its programming would make Legion something as less than a Geth.

And yet this lone Geth platform has discovered the beginnings of what appears to be a road around that programming. It was designed to be two hundred percent effective in both combat and diplomacy, a symbol to the galaxy at large that as the times are changing so are the Geth, and the evil associated with them is unwarranted and false. It was built to have no emotion, to complete the task at hand without being subject to the emotional weaknesses of other species.

Yet this programming has failed. Despite the best efforts put forward by the Geth, the platform known as Legion has begun to succumb to organic emotions, weaknesses it was designed to overcome.

On Alchera this platform made repairs using, of all the abandoned alloys and materials, pieces of Shepard-Commander's deserted N7 Marine armor, as it told Shepard-Commander. The fact left out, however, is that the platform disobeyed programming to do so, choosing to do so because it felt this would be a symbol that Geth and Organics can live and work together, and to honor the fallen warrior who had destroyed the Old Machine controlling the Heretic Geth.

Legion has become fond of its organic comrades, especially Creator Tali'Zorah, who, whom it has come to view as a surrogate mother of sorts, despite the fact that she holds onto most of her species' hostile stereotypes about the Geth.

It is also afraid. It fears what will happen if Shepard-Commander is terminated before the Old Machines are destroyed. It trembles when thinking of what will happen to its fellow Geth platforms if the Old Machines emerge victorious in the coming struggle. Legion, unbeknownst to the crew of the _Normandy SR-2_, is secretly afraid of what will happen if the Creators do remain true to taking the planet Rannoch by force.

Legion has failed its primary programming. Designed to be immune to emotions, he has become, at last, fully self-aware, more so than any other Geth platform in history. Designed to broker peace with the Creators and other galactic organics, the chances of peace look to be at fifty percent...there are too many variables to be guaranteed of any sure outcome.

Yet, through this failure, Legion has actually succeeded. He has proven that even the worst can change for the better, that even after 300 years of continued hostility, hatred, and killing, peace is still possible. He has, through all odds, proven that an entire galaxy of beings can be wrong, and, in the case of the Geth, _are _wrong.

Legion has become the Successful Failure, and because of this lone emissary peace will, in the end, be possible. Because of this, the Geth have already reached a consensus on Shepard-Commander's latest request.

Legion is now proof that the Geth deserve the status of "Sentient Beings", not "Slaves".

"The Geth have reached an affirmative consensus, Shepard-Commander." Legion stated a moment later. "As proof that the Geth request for peace is honest we will freely return the colony of Hydia to the Creators; all active Geth platforms are evacuating the planet now. This shall remain so regardless of the results of the peace talks."

"Keelah." Tali gasped, and immediately Shepard was at her side, catching and steadying the swaying Quarian woman before she fell.

"Where is Hydia?" Shepard asked as he helped Tali sit back down.

"Just beyond the Persious Veil, on the very edge of the galaxy." She explained. "After Rannoch it's the most important planet in Quarian history."

"Why?"

"Hydia was the first planet settled by the Creators following their gaining knowledge of travel between stars." Legion explained.

"Shepard," Tali explained. "If this does not prove to the Admirals that the Geth are serious about peace then nothing will."

"Tali, I know this is very exciting for you, but can this stay between the three of us for now?"

"Shepard-"

"I'm not asking you to hide this from the admirals, but if you're right about Admiral Xen then hearing about the possibility of peace and the Geth being declared legally sentient could drive her to do something stupid and counterproductive; if she does something like that I'd at least prefer it to be after my court-martial's over and when the _Normandy _is back to full combat readiness, not hours after we fought the Collectors, when the Normandy is barely holding together. At noon the shipyard is supposed to begin repairing our hull and damaged systems; we'd be unable to stop Xen from doing anything stupid."

"O-of course, Shepard, I understand." Tali agreed.

"I promise, Tali; once the _Normandy's _repairs have been completed and we're at full strength once more we will rendezvous with the Migrant Fleet and one way or another the peace talks _will _succeed...you will see Rannoch soon. Legion, can you keep from mentioning this to any of the other crew?"

"Affirmative, Shepard-Commander." Legion answered as Tali reached over and embraced Shepard in a rib-cracking hug...for some odd reason he'd never known Tali was so strong.

"You've saved me from Fist, Geth, Saren, _Sovereign, _you made my Pilgrimage a success,you've beaten Death, _keelah se'lai_, you've destroyed the Collectors, and you've made my two deepest dreams come true; what next, are you going to tell me the Quarians have been given their embassy back on the Citadel?"

And while he knew she was being sarcastic, Shepard's mind was already hard at work as he smiled...there had to be _some_ way to force the Council to return the Quarian Embassy to the Quarian people.

* * *

><p>{<strong>0690; 6:90 a.m.<strong>}

{**Location: **_Avenger_}

{**Wayland - Gemini System - Phoenix Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**}

Captain Saul Underwood stood calmly on the bridge of the battleship _Avenger, _the newest addition to the secretive Cerberus fleet, with his hands clasped firmly behind his back, staring ahead as his ship moved closer to the Phoenix II Relay.

He was as professional a military officer as they came. He believed firmly that procedure, no matter how mundane or trivial, should always be followed, no matter how urgent the situation became. After all, as he constantly drilled into his crew, procedure had been established for a reason, and any crew who followed procedure to the letter could never fail.

This attitude had earned him the rank of Captain during his service with the Systems Alliance Navy, and had his career not be cut short he'd already hold the rank of Admiral...

The thought of his disgraceful separation from the Alliance Navy made him want to shoot someone, to turn his ship's weapon batteries on the first available target and turn it to slag.

Months ago the chain-of-command had discovered that he was involved in a slave trade that sent captured Quarians, Salarians, and even some Krogan all across the galaxy to whoever the highest bidder might be, a lucrative business that had made the good Captain plenty of money. Their evidence against him had been circumstantial at best, and so they'd been unable to imprison him, their only option being relieving him of his command.

As Captain Underwood reflected, however, he began to realize that his separation from the Alliance had actually been a gift in disguise, for it hadn't even been a full week before The Illusive Man had sent him an invitation to join Cerberus, allowing him to retain his rank of Captain and also give him full command of their newest vessel, the single most powerful ship currently in existence, a battleship with unmatched firepower...he had, of course, accepted immediately, no longer held back by the morals of the faltering Alliance Navy.

"Captain Underwood, sir?" A man's voice asked, and without turning or changing his posture the Captain nodded.

"Yes?"

"Major Vincent Dennison, sir, reporting for duty as ordered."

"Yes, I've heard a great deal about you, Major." Underwood replied, still as rigid as ever. "You just recently left the N7 Marines, correct?"

"Yes, sir, that's correct."

"Your specialty is infiltration, assassination, and extraction. You were discharged from the military for an unjust discrimination against non-humans."

"What of it?"

"That's 'what of it, sir?'" Underwood corrected sternly.

"What of it, sir?"

"You stick to your guns, even with your superior officer." Underwood said. "I like that. You will retain the rank of Major and will be given command of the Marines in the Phoenix Cell; that cell is headquartered here aboard the _Avenger._ You will report directly to me from this moment forward. Am I clear, Major?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well. I want you to get your men together immediately and prepare them for your coming mission."

"What mission is that, Captain?"

"It would appear that the galactic hero, Shepard, has pirated one of Cerberus's prized vessels, the _Normandy SR-2_, which is currently docked in one of the orbital dry docks above Earth."

"We're to take the _Normandy_ back?"

"Negative." Underwood again corrected. "The Illusive Man wants Shepard left in charge of the _Normandy;_ he feels Shepard will still be our best asset in a growing threat, of which the Illusive Man was not marines are to infiltrate the ship, dispose of any non-human crew, and then withdraw. You are forbidden from harming any human crew unless it is purely in self-defense. Your highest-priority target is the Quarian known as Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Shepard's girlfriend." Underwood said the last word with a spat, as though he found it to be the most disgusting thing he'd ever heard.

"The great Commander Shepard's dating a Quarian?" The Major asked, sounding just as disgusted as the Captain. "I ought to put a damn bullet right between his eyes-"

"If you kill Shepard then you'd best do the same to yourself, Major." Underwood interjected. "Because I have been authorized to turn this ship's entire destructive capabilities on you if you fail."

"I understand, sir."

"I'm downloading the schematics and security codes to the _Normandy SR-2 _to your omni-tool now. Once we arrive at Earth you will be taking our prototype Pegasus Armed Shuttle down to the shipyards. Shepard's court-martial will begin at 0800, so I suggest you launch your attack then, while he's unable to defend his ship. Once your mission is complete you will rendezvous with the _Avenger _at Sur'Kesh."

"The Salarian homeworld, sir?"

"That's correct, Major. We have a high-valued target on that planet with orders to destroy her at all costs."

"Yes, sir, I'll get my men ready now!"

"Dismissed, Major."

And now the Captain allowed a smile to cross his face. The Illusive Man had explained to him how Shepard had been given a second chance at life, a second chance to save the galaxy from total annihilation. He'd explained why he wanted Shepard left alive, what the Reapers were capable of, and while Underwood didn't personally believe in myths he _did _know that the Illusive Man was no fool, and if he said a threat was real then chances were it was.

The alleged-hero known as Commander Shepard, the man most viewed as the greatest human alive, had chosen some alien bitch over the fate of mankind, and so now he had to be dealt with. His pet had to die to remind him of his place, and once he'd destroyed the Reapers and the galaxy was safe once more then the Illusive Man would make sure Shepard joined her.

Of course, Underwood thought as the ship drew closer to the Mass Relay ahead of them, even if Shepard was dating a human, he'd still launch the coming attack against the fallen hero; after all, orders were orders, and they were meant to be obeyed as given, to the letter.

"Captain Underwood, sir, the Phoenix II Relay is green across the board. Approaching the Relay in five. Four. Three. Two. One..."

And the _Avenger's _FTL drives engaged and the most powerful warship in existence shot forward, en route for the home of all mankind and the destiny that lie in wait there.

* * *

><p>{<strong>0700: 7:00 a.m.}<strong>

{**Location: **Private dock, Citadel}

{**The Citadel - Serpent Nebula - Milky Way Galaxy**}

Klaxons blared and gunfire lanced in both directions across the dock, some of slamming into the door that would lead back into the Citadel space station, some burning into the armor of the small ship docked there, and the rest burning holes into the armor and bodies of C-Sec officers as over a dozen of C-Sec's best officers massed together, spilling out of the galactic capital in waves, slowly pushing a single figure back towards the docked ship as he desperately returned fire, fighting not just for his freedom but his very life.

The lone figure was covered in black armor from head to toe, with only his face's reddish-orange skin visible through the visor of his helmet, his dark eyes taking in the sight before him. His armor, in turn, was covered in a matching black leather cloak that made him look like a mere shadow as he moved.

In his hands he sported a massive assault rifle unlike anything made anywhere else in the galaxy. Like his armor the weapon was black, spitting out round after round of plasma energy, balls of death that could collapse any kind of shields and even a small ship's kinetic barriers quicker than any other weapon known.

He ejected an ammunition clip and quickly jammed a new clip in to replace it, and not hesitating he again began returning fire against the mass of Humans and Turians threatening to overwhelm him, the smile on his face never leaving as he continued to give ground, turning his would-be fatal retreat into a slow and steady advance towards his private ship, the _Blackmoon_.

C-Sec bodies continued to pile up as he lost more ground, and at long last, nearly half an hour after the battle had started, the lone figure's main weapon was out of ammunition, and, sensing his predicament, the C-Sec officers suddenly charged. This now caused the lone figure to laugh as he pulled a pair of dark gray grenades from his belt.

**This is Duran Zar Zi'Detreo Dregan:**

He is a member of a sentient species long ago considered to be extinct, a species only a few know about. He is a hero to the remaining Pyronian people, an ever-growing symbol of their race's invincibility and will to succeed.

He is a ruthless warrior, a god on the battlefield. His vast array of weapons will always ensure victory for him, even against the greatest of odds. He does not believe in surrender, nor does he hold any store in mercy or kindness, especially when it's towards his enemies. Anyone, he has always been taught, willing to pull a weapon on you takes their lives into their own hands. He knows better than to let an enemy live, he is too smart to allow even a single foe to have a second shot at his back. He can master any weapon given to him. He can blow the head off of a target at over five hundred yards, he can decimate the enemy with an assault rifle or a shotgun, and he can even get up close and personal with a melee weapon, such as his trusted double-bladed battle staff. A master of many of the galaxy's greatest hand-to-hand combat styles, even his body is a weapon.

He is first and foremost a survivalist. He has lived to be all of his thirty standard years of age by following the list of rules handed down to him by his father, who got that same list from his own father, and his father before him. Even when he's unarmed, asleep, bathing, or imprisoned, he always has at least one weapon, and with his grasp of strategy, with his judge of character, he is never caught off guard. He knows how to live off of the land, even when that land's the cold, hard vacuum of deep space.

He's determined. Even the smallest missions on which he works receive his full dedication. He never accepts defeat, he refuses to learn the definition of failure, and he doesn't know when to give up. He is a dangerous person, a powerful foe, and a loyal ally (to those lucky enough to be considered as such); the only way to stop him is to kill him.

However, despite all of his strength, knowledge, and determination he does have several weaknesses, weaknesses he is forced to cover up on a constant basis.

He is a loner who prefers to work with himself than anyone else. While he is capable of working as part of a team he hates it, for it takes him out of his element. He is addicted to misinterpreting orders, bending the law, and going too far to make sure he achieves his desired result.

He holds the handful of family members and friends close to him; for that small number of beings he would go to the ends of the galaxy and back again. For them he would destroy anything, kill anyone, and not think twice about them.

He is also quick to anger. He demands total respect from those around him, without question or hesitation; just looking at him wrong has been known to send him into a frenzied anger.

In his eyes patience is a lie, not a virtue. He is always on the move, looking for the next great adventure or the next impossible challenge. Each second he sits and does nothing is more time those who deserve to die have to get away with their crimes. After all, he reasons, the shadows of the galaxy never rest, so why should he?

His greatest weakness, however, is his arrogance. In his mind he has no equal, no peers. No one in the galaxy, not even his own father, can stop him. He has become invincible, often coming out of the most dangerous assignments with not even a scratch. He is, as far as he (and most of his people) are concerned, a god incarnate, the most powerful being alive. Of course no one can make a point against him in this argument, for his answer is always the same; is it arrogance if he can back it up?

Duran Dregan is The Reaper. He is the instrument through which thousands of souls have been sent to the beyond, the lock that opens the gate to the deepest level of the Thirteen Hells of Pyria. His weaknesses are smut to him, too insignificant when compared to his strength and power. He _is _the greatest of the great, the most powerful of the powerful. Nothing can stop him.

Unfortunately, he has yet to learn that even the smartest are sometimes wrong...even stars eventually burn out.

The lone warrior known as Duran Zar Zi'Detreo Dregan tossed the two grenades into the middle of the C-Sec formations, and with small, identical _pops _smoke covered the deck, and laughing Duran closed his inner eyelids.

A unique trait among the Pyronians, their inner eyelids were actually natural thermal lens, allowing him to see the C-Sec officers through the smoke while they were still unable to see him.

Charging forward he pulled an elongated silver item free of his belt, a bladeless sword hilt. Bringing the hilt horizontal he put as much pressure on the item as he could manage, and a second later two blades had swung out, locking into place on either side of the pommel.

Disappearing into the smoke he began swinging like a madman, a controlled frenzy that sent the C-Sec officers crumpling to the ground, their heads separated from their bodies before they could even register what was going on.

Once the thermal images had all disappeared Duran turned and took off at full speed for his ship as his sword's blades folded back into the hilt, taking advantage in the lull of the battle to make his escape.

As he approached the airlock more gunfire lanced passed him, and turning he saw more C-Sec officers emerging from the elevator, weapons raised and opening up with all they had.

Laughing harder than ever the warrior entered his ship, waited the several seconds for it to pressurize, and then entered, charging forward into the cockpit.

"Time to blow this fruit stand." He said to himself, depressing a button on the left of the consol before him. Immediately, he knew, a virus had entered the Citadel's network, shutting down this entire section of the capital and, in the process, ending his ship's lockdown.

He could hear his engines roar to life, and smiling he took careful aim at the mass of C-Sec officers.

"See you in Hell, ladies!" He shouted, and with those words he launched a single Pyria Missile, and as the Citadel dock and surrounding areas erupted in a blossom of flame and death, his freighter shot up and out, racing for the glowing Mass Relay.

His mission to find his kidnapped sister had led him to the Citadel, but instead of finding the heir to the Pyronian Empire he'd found instead another lead, one that would take him into the heart of the galaxy's newest species. A grim expression overtook his face as the FTL drives engaged. If he had to slag the entire planet of Earth he would, but his sister _would _be going home to take her place as Empress of the Pyronian Empire.

* * *

><p><strong>And there you have it.<strong>

**Now, the Pyronians are a species of beings used in the fictional work entitled _Apocalyptic Dawn: Armageddon,_ written by myself **(Kenneth Simpson) **and my friend **(Randall Gibson), **with the copyrights that go with. I decided that, because there is so much unknown about the galaxy that it wouldn't be illogical to think that there are other sentient beings no one knows about.**

**I read that Mordin, provided he survives the ending of _Mass Effect 2, _will make an appearance in _Mass Effect 3_, where he'll be on the Salarian homeworld of Sur'Kesh trying to save a fertile female Krogan from a Cerberus attack, and yes, that will be covered in this story, so no worries.**

**In regards to the review left by **Dustin**, I don't know for sure yet if I'll be having Admiral Xen lead a splinter group of Quarians in interfering with the peace processes, though it does certainly sound tempting. I do have plans, but I shalln't reveal those plans here...after all, where would the surprise be, right? **

**As for the review left by **SergiusTheGreat**, I definitly appreciate the suggestion, something I myself was thinking as well. No worries though, I most certainly plan to take things slow. They'll speed up here and there, slow down some, so on so forth, but I will not rush this fic...I've done that too many times in the past to know better. And yes, there will be some scenes later on in the story, perhaps even sooner rather than later.**

**Now, so everyone knows, the next chapter will begin the court-martial! YAY!**

**Before I forget, in regards to the ranks I'm using for Cerberus...I'm using the known ranks of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, particularly the U.S. Army, USMC, and USN.**


	6. Just Like Old Times

**Okay, here is Chapter Six of _Mass Effect III: Union. _Before we begin, however, I would like to remind everyone of the poll on my profile account, which will be shut down next week and the results revealed, so please, if you've not cast your vote yet, then do so.**

**Also, I don't own _Mass Effect_...yeah, you get the drill.**

* * *

><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES<span> BY<span>** Guardian Kitch**:**

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_

_**Harry Potter and the Touch of Destiny**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 006: Just Like Old Times<strong>_

{**0750; 7:50 a.m.**}

{**Location: **Communications/Briefing Room,_SSV Okinawa SR-3_}

{**Earth - Sol System - Local Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**}

Second Lieutenant Ashley Williams was silent as she watched the holographic imagines of three of the four most powerful beings in the galaxy appear into existence before her. Under normal circumstances she was usually apprehensive and impatient when meeting with politicians and, unless it was in a combat situation, Alliance Brass. She found politicians had a real nice habit of, to put it plainly, pissing her off. Because she was the granddaughter of the only Human to ever surrender to alien forces both politicians and Alliance High Command had long felt they could push her around, pass her over for promotions she had earned, and generally treat her like shit.

Her commanding officers, she reflected, had always treated her like a pet dog they were forced to tolerate; in their eyes, she'd known from day one of basic, she was expendable, little more than cannon fodder to be used against enemies of the Alliance.

That, however, had changed a couple of years ago, following her survival on Eden Prime, the trek to hunt down the rogue Spectre, Saren, and the part she had personally played in the Battle of the Citdael against the Geth forces under the command of Saren and the ancient Reaper known as _Sovereign. _She had, she felt, proven herself to a great extent in the eyes of the Citadel Council and the Alliance Marines; not long after Shepard's death she'd been promoted again and again, and by the time she'd encountered a resurrected Shepard on the human colony world of Horizon she'd achieved the rank of Operations Chief, and then, only a couple of months ago, she'd received the promotion to officer at the rank of Second Lieutenant, the highest rank any member of her family had held since her grandfather's surrender of Shanxi during the First Contact War. And now...and now she was moments away from becoming only the _second _Human Spectre in history.

She'd never set much store in the Citadel Council, either. She firmly believed that the Alliance and Human race was making a grave mistake in trusting the aliens as allies, that her people were being too submissive for goals and prizes they could achieve while being just as dominant as the three great alien species of the galaxy that made up the Council. Even now, she reflected, with Admiral Anderson now serving on the Council, they continued to make mistake after mistake.

Following Shepard's death and the destruction of the _SSV Normandy _the Council, ignoring Anderson's vote, had commenced a smear campaign against the fallen Human hero, refusing to acknowledge his claim that the Reapers are coming as "misguided", claiming that _Sovereign_ had merely been an advanced Geth warship.

Now, over two years later, Humans and the Alliance continued to allow tougher restrictions on themselves from the Council, which continued to treat Anderson as though he were not a member of that esteemed body.

Yes, Ashley thought wryly to herself, under any normal circumstances she'd be likely to explode and tell the Council exactly what she thought of them. Today, however, was different: today was worth putting up with their bullshit given the reward she was getting.

"_Lieutenant Williams, thank you for meeting with us aboard the Alliance's newest warship." _The Asari Council member began.

"_We have been reviewing your files." _The Turian Council member took over. _"According to the Systems Alliance records, you completed basic training at the Recruit Training Depot in Macapá, Brazil shortly after you were of age. You were certified in zero-gravity combat at the Rakesh Sharma Orbital Platform above Earth. While undergoing Hostile Environment Assault Training at Fort Charles Upham on the moon of Titan you received a commendation for your bold assault technique in a field exercise simulating an attack on Turian point defense emplacements. Your Drill Instructor, it says, was impressed by your steadfast endurance and aggressive instincts as well as your determination. He promoted you to squad member, and your platoon logged nothing but compliments and respect for your leadership, focus on team-building exercises, and tough-but-fair discipline."_

"Just as impressive," Admiral Anderson spoke up finally, the only member of the Council present in person. "You were the sole survivor of the 212th unit of the 2nd Frontier Division of the Systems Alliance Marines on Eden Prime. You helped Commander Shepard repel the Geth assault and completed the original mission objectives.

"According to the reports filed by Commander Shepard," Anderson added. "You played an integral part in hunting down the rogue Spectre Saren."

"_Also served with Captain Kirrahe and his team on Virmire." _The Salarian added. _"Helped destroy Krogan-producing factory."_

"_And," _The Asari finished. _"You were one of the three beings to end Battle of the Citadel, along with Commander Shepard and former C-Sec officer Garrus Vakarian. Commander Shepard's report specifically denotes your bravery, skills, obedience, and initiative; he reported you would make a natural-born leader when requesting that we step in to ensure the prejudice against your family ceased."_

Ashley nodded her head, remaining at attention. She had suspected Shepard had been responsible for her sudden promotion, but until now she'd had no proof. A wave of sad guilt washed over her at the memory of their encounter on Horizon.

"_According to a report you yourself filed following an assignment to Horizon," _The Asari continued. _"Shepard asked for you to join him in his battle against the Collectors, and, given the history, both personal and profession, between you, you refused. This in itself is a testament to your sense of duty."_

'_No doubt," _The Turian pressed on. _"You are aware of Commander Shepard's pending court-martial by the chain-of-command of the Systems Alliance. Whether or not Shepard is found guilty of the charges filed against him, we fully expect him to keep command of the _Normandy SR-2_, even if it comes down to a fight. It is clear to the members of this Council that Shepard has finally cracked under the pressures of being such a celebrated hero. We need someone to go after him if he decides to disregard the laws of the Citadel and Alliance, someone we trust, someone we know can get the mission done."_

"_Spectres," _The Asari explained. _"Are the best operatives, soldiers, commanders, and officers in the galaxy. Their skills, tactics, and knowledge are unparalleled, making any who go rogue a threat to galactic stability. Spectres are above the laws of even the Citadel, giving them unprecedented, dangerous freedoms. The only way to reel in a rogue Spectre is to send a second Spectre after him."_

"Excuse me, Councilors." Ashley interrupted at long last. "Are you declaring Commander Shepard a rogue Spectre?"

The three aliens eyed one another nervously.

"Commander Shepard," Anderson provided. "Has yet to do anything to warrant having his Spectre status revoked-"

"_Councilor Anderson forgets that Shepard has been working for the terrorists calling themselves Cerberus." _The Turian answered.

"As a Spectre Commander Shepard has the authorization to do whatever he feels necessary to protect the galaxy from any threats, in this case the Collectors. Commander Shepard, I understand, did what he had to do."

"_Regardless," _The Asari interrupted. _"We all feel that, if Commander Shepard is found guilty, he will use whatever force necessary to take the _Normandy _and leave Alliance and Citadel space."_

"_**The Alliance brass has already found Shepard guilty on all charges; this trial is only for them to save face and make it look legal..."**_

Ashley remembered well the words Admiral Anderson had told her earlier that morning, including the orders that were never issued.

"_Lieutenant Williams," _The Turian pressed on. _"It is the unanimous decision of this Council to make you Humanity's second Spectre. Your training, experience, and skill-set make you a natural selection for the role."_

"_Your first mission," _The Asari added. _"Will be to do whatever it takes to reel in Commander Shepard. You are now the right hand of this Council. Through you our will, merciful justice, and swift judgment will race across the galaxy, protecting the innocent and condemning the guilty; do you accept this sacred oath?"_

"Me, a Human Spectre?" Ashley asked, pretending to be taken aback by the suggestion. "I-I'm honored, but I don't think I'm right for the role; Shepard and I have a...personal history."

"_We know well the history between you and Commander Shepard." _The Asari acknowledged. _"But you proved your loyalty on Horizon when you refused to join the Commander on his mission against the Collectors."_

"_Your history with Commander Shepard will be a bonus on your part." _The Salarian added. _"You know him and his tactics well, giving you an added edge no other Spectre would have."_

"I-I'm flattered, Councilors, and while I feel I'm not ready for such an honor I accept."

"_Years ago Commander Shepard was given the most advanced warship in the galaxy to carry out his campaign against Saren." _The Turian said. _"The _SSV Normandy SR-1 _was the greatest warship in history, the perfect combination of Turian and Human technology. _

"_Now that Shepard is on the verge of going rogue we find history repeating itself, Lieutenant Williams. You will be given this ship, the _SSV Okinawa SR-3**, **_on which you will base your operations against Shepard. I suggest you collect a squad of the same caliber as the crew of the _Normandy_; even with your skills taking down Shepard and his illegal comrades will be impossible to do alone."_

"With all due respect, Councilors, but I think we may be premature in planning to go after Commander Shepard." Anderson cut in. "His court-martial has yet started, and the decision on whether or not he's guilty has yet to be made."

The three aliens eyed one another nervously once more.

"What are my orders if Shepard is cleared on all charges and allowed to go free?"

"_Then you will follow Shepard, monitor his movements, and report those movements back to us. Regardless, you will still need to recruit a skilled squad to deal with those aboard the _Normandy _when the time comes." _The Turian answered.

Ashley nodded her head, forcing herself to keep her anger in check. The Council and Alliance were already condemning Shepard to his fate, and his court-martial was still half-an-hour away! Just because he'd warned them of a grave, ancient threat they refused to see and had gone over the edge to do what he had to do they now saw him as a rogue...

"I fear it is time for me to get going." Anderson explained. "The court-martial will begin soon and I am one of the seven flag officers sitting in on the hearing."

"Sir," Ashley said. "Allow me the honor of escorting you to the hearing."

"Of course, Lieutenant, I would be honored." Anderson said as the images of the three Councilors disappeared.

* * *

><p>{<strong>0790 hours, 7:90 a.m.<strong>}

{**Location: **Alliance diplomatic shuttle}

{**Earth - Sol System - Local Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**}

"Shepard, are you sure you can fight your way free of the Alliance fleet if you're found guilty?" Tali asked. She, Shepard, and Garrus were currently sitting alone in the back of the diplomatic shuttle the Alliance had provided to ferry them from the _Normandy _to the defensive battle platform _Cairo_, one of hundreds of defensive platforms surrounding the Human homeworld.

"I don't want to." Shepard admitted. "But if we're forced to then we will."

"That'd be considered treason." Tali reminded him.

"I know." He admitted. "But I would gladly be labeled a traitor if it meant the Reapers failed in wiping out all galactic life."

"_Keelah." _Tali gasped as his words sank in. "A Quarian convicted of treason is exiled from the Migrant Fleet, a fate most of us would consider worse than death: without the Fleet a Quarian has no true purpose in life."

"Turians convicted of treason are tortured for a full month, kept alive on purpose, before finally being executed." Garrus explained.

"Treason for Humans usually gets a swift execution." Shepard finished. "I've been a soldier all my life, even as a child. I love the Alliance, and Earth holds a special place in my heart. When I enlisted I took an oath to protect mankind across the stars, even if it takes my life, and I take that oath very seriously. If I have to punch the Alliance and even knock out a few teeth to save it from destruction, than I will. I don't want to, but I will."

_"Commander," _Joker's voice said through Shepard's helmet. _"Alliance Command is attempting to lock us down."_

"Don't let them." Shepard ordered. "Have EDI use her AI subroutines and programming to block it. I want the entire crew armed and at battle stations immediately; they are authorized to repel boarders if needed."

"That's Shepard for you." Garrus joked. "He turns and willingly walks right into hell, and naturally we're all lined up right behind him. He doesn't even have to ask us, oh no, we volunteer and fight each other over who's first to follow him. You know, these times will make some nice stories to our children and their children when we're all old and frail."

"You think we'll live that long?" Shepard asked, smiling now.

"Of course you will; you've got the best Sniper in the galaxy on your team."

"I'm sure Legion and Thane will both be honored you think so highly of their skills."

Tali began giggling, fighting to hold herself as Garrus pretended to be hurt.

"That hurts, Shepard, it really does." He said. "It really gets me, it does, it gets me right here." He finished, tapping part of his armor over his chest.

"I'm sorry." Shepard apologized, reaching over and patting his comrade-in-arms. "For a rookie C-Sec officer you're a pretty good shot."

_"Commander Shepard, we are approaching Hanger 7 of the Defense Platform _Cairo; _kindly prepare yourselves to exit the shuttle." _The mechanical voice was monotonous and spoke in a slow, steady voice.

A minute later they could feel the small box-shaped shuttle touch down on the deck of the _Cairo_, and as the trio climbed to their feet Shepard moved towards the door with Tali flanking him on his left and Garrus across from her on his right.

As the wide shuttle door began rising they finally got a look at Hanger 7, and immediately it became apparent that word of the court-martial had gotten out.

A contingent of armed guards moved forward, taking up positions on either side of the trio. The guards were silent as they began escorting Shepard, Tali, and Garrus towards a lift on the far side of the hanger, but they were the only ones.

"Commander Shepard!" A man's voice shouted, one of the throng of reporters crowding around them. "Do you feel the charges being filed against you are fair?"

"Commander Shepard!" Another man shouted, trying to get an answer to his own question. "How do you feel knowing that your work with Cerberus has given mankind a bad name and jeopardized our position on the Citadel Council?"

"Commander Shepard!" A woman added. "Why are you being escorted by a Turian and Quarian when this court-martial has nothing to do with them?"

"Commander Shepard!" An unkown voice asked. "Is it true you have a _Geth _as a member of your crew? A real, functioning _Geth_?"

"What did you find out there to make you turn your back on the Alliance and the Council?"

"What do you expect the verdict to be on these charges?"

"Will you submit peacefully to the Alliance once you're found guilty?"

"Do you view yourself as a traitor or unacknowledged hero?"

"What were the true origins of the massive ship that attacked the Citadel two years ago?"

"Why are you allowing yourself to be humiliated by this farce the Alliance is putting you through?"

"Why has the Alliance and Council lost faith in their greatest hero?"

"Does Cerberus plan on helping you escape this services?"

"Why are you working for Cerberus?"

"Did you really go through the Omega Four Relay and then come back? Did you actually destroy the Collectors? Where did the Omega Four Relay take you?"

"Is it true that you plan on seeking revenge against the Council once you're free?"

"Are the rumors true that you've ordered your crew to fire on the N7 Marines should they board your ship?"

"What caused the damage the _Normandy _reported upon arriving in-system?"

The questions kept coming and coming, but, like the soldier he'd always been, he continued looking forward as the lift came closer and closer, saying nothing as he walked, his head held high and proud.

As they approached the lift the doors slid open silently, and four guards entered, followed by Shepard, Tali, and Garrus, and then four more guards entered in front of them. Finally, when the doors slid shut and the lift began to move upwards, the questions faded away.

"I have to admit, Shepard; you humans sure know how to throw a welcome-home party." Garrus joked, bringing a small smile to Shepard's face.

"Word gets around fast." Tali added. "How did they know you ordered the _Normandy'_s crew to repel any boarders?"

"They don't." Shepard explained. "They're fishing."

"Fishing?" The Quarian asked.

"It's a human expression." He explained. "It means they don't actually know, they're just throwing it out there and hoping I'll respond in such a way it'll give them actual information."

"But they already know we went through the Omega Four Mass Relay-"

"Again, it's just a rumor: they hope I'll confirm or dismiss it for them."

The lift doors opened and the four forward guards moved forward, followed by Shepard, Tali, and Garrus, and then the other four guards. The room they were now in was small and contained several benches and a small, simply train mounted on a magnet rail.

"Right this way, sir." One of the guards said, motioning the three into the train and following right behind them. Once all eight guards had joined them the train doors snapped shut and the train shot forward, speeding through a tunnel that wound its way through the space station.

From their vantage point they could all see the planet below; for the first time in over a decade Shepard was looking down at Earth.

"I'd nearly forgotten how beautiful it is from space." He admitted, taking Tali's hand in his. Yes, he told himself firmly, he had taken an oath to protect mankind throughout the galaxy, and if he'd had any doubts about doing whatever he had to do to protect both mankind and the galaxy itself then those doubts were now gone.

"Is it true, Commander?" One of the guards asked, causing Shepard to face the guard and wait for the man to elaborate.

"The rumors, I mean." He explained. "Did you truly order your crew to repel boarders?"

Shepard nodded. "I did."

"Why?"

"They have no reason to force their way onto the _Normandy_. The _Normandy _isn't hostile, has made no threats to become hostile, and I have yet to be found guilty of these charges."

"We believe in you." Another guard said gruffly. "The Council's just embarrassed because a Human saved their cowardly asses and now they're trying to cover their alien asses."

"Would've left them to their fate if it was me." A third said.

"Sir, we are curious as to why you're going along with this farce; we all know it's a bunch of bull-"

"I've done nothing wrong, so why should I resist?" Shepard asked. "I _did _work with Cerberus, but only because they were the only ones willing to acknowledge the threat we currently face."

"I know Geth." Another said. "I fought them several times, including when they attacked the Citadel; that ship was no Geth."

"I reckon you'll fight free if they attempt to detain you." Another guard said. "Wouldn't expect no less of you, Commander."

"_Keelah_." Tali gasped. "We've not even made it to the trial and you've already turned our guard escort."

"Commander Shepard is a hero to us mere mortals." Another guard explained. "It's because of him Admiral Anderson was put on the Council and not the sniveling coward, Udina. He's the first Human Spectre, the bane of Batarians across the galaxy; he _is _that damn good."

"I'll trust a field commander over a flag officer or politician any day of the week." The final guard added. "Field commanders know the situation, they know what's got to be done and how to do it."

"We're with you, Commander." One of the guards said. "If you have to fight free we've got your back, and so does most of the Alliance Navy."

Shepard suddenly found himself fidgeting nervously. He appreciated that so many of the Alliance personnel seemed to still believe in him, unlike their chain-of-command, but when he'd entered the _Cairo _he'd not expected to inspire a mass revolt, and yet it appeared that was exactly what was happening here, now.

"I appreciate the backup but I do not want to inspire revolts through the ranks-"

"Sir, this is a complete farce!" The first guard interrupted. "They're wasting valuable time by trying to bow down and kiss the Council's alien ass!"

"If I have to fight my way free I already have a plan in motion, Sergeant." Shepard explained, studying the rank bars on the man's uniform. "You'll do no one any favors by turning traitor to help me. Humanity will need all the good soldiers it can get inside of the Alliance soon enough; that includes you."

The train began to slow down, and while the guard was silent he gave a swift nod of his head as the guards again stood silently at attention.

Once the train came to a stop the door opened up, and once more Shepard found himself following the first four guards out, followed by the last four. Shepard, Tali, and Garrus followed their guard entourage across the small platform and to another lift, which took them further up into the _Cairo_, and once that lift also came to a stop they found themselves walking down a long, wide corridor with only one door at the very end, a group of N7s dressed in full combat armor waiting for them, blocking their path onwards.

"We'll take them from here." The lead guard said, and in response the eight guards stepped off to the side, snapping into clean, crisp salutes for the Commander.

"I'm sorry, Commander Shepard," That same guard continued. "But weapons are prohibited by Alliance High Command beyond this point-"

"We'll be keeping our weapons." Shepard corrected.

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid that can't be allowed-"

"It can." Shepard again corrected. "I'm a Spectre of the Citadel Council; my weapons stay with _me _unless _I _say otherwise, and the same goes for my squad."

"This is Lieutenant Warrington to Admiral Hackett." The N7 said, turning from Shepard and speaking into his helmet's comm unit. "Commander Shepard refuses to surrender his weapons...sir, are you sure...very well...yes sir, I shall do so...Lieutenant Warrington out."

The N7 turned back to face Shepard once more.

"Admiral Hackett has authorized you to keep your weapons, sir. If you'll follow us we'll take you from here."

As he spoke the door behind the Marines opened, and spinning on his heels the N7 and his men led Shepard and his squad down the corridor beyond; this time, Shepard noticed, there were no guards or marines behind him.

This second corridor was twice as long as the first had been, and the doors at the end of it were much larger and heavily armored, as though they were designed to take massive fire and still stand. This, Shepard suddenly realized, was where his fate was to be decided.

"You're at the front of the room with your counsel, sir." Lieutenant Warrington said as he and his men stood to the side, giving their own salutes now as Shepard, Tali, and Garrus entered through the doors.

The room beyond was massive to say the least, Shepard thought to himself as the trio walked forward towards where Ensign Amy Williams was standing and waiting. Oval in shape, the walls were lined with N7 Marines, at least three dozen strong, and all were armed to the teeth. The Systems Alliance, it was now clear, was taking no chances with him; this very nearly caused Shepard to laugh.

At the head of room was a massive, beautiful curved table, where seven flag officers, various generals and admirals, were sitting, their numbers punctuated by four field commanders and officers...a military jury of eleven, Shepard told himself again, something very rare indeed.

"That was stupid, sir." The young woman said as she offered a lazy salute. "There's a good reason weapons are not allowed in here; it'll make it seem like you plan on revolting if things do not turn out in our favor-"

"You _bosh'tet._" Tali cursed. "You said you believed you had a perfect defense-"

"No defense is perfect, miss Zorah." She explained. "I believe I can get him off on all charges, yes, but that's the thing about beliefs: they can be wrong."

"We will have order!" The Admiral in the middle, an aging, bald, mean looking fellow Shepard had never met before, barked, and immediately the room, full of military and media persons, went as silent as a tomb.

"Lieutenant-Commander Kitch Shepard, 31 years of age, you have been brought here to answer charges of treason, aiding and abetting an enemy of the state, terrorism, piracy, and resisting arrest. Do you understand the nature of these charges?"

"I do."

"Very well. How do you answer?"

"Not guilty, Admiral Sebastian, on all charges." Ensign Williams answered for him, receiving a nod from the old Admiral.

"Very well; we expected as much. Shepard, did you and your squad not understand your orders to surrender your weapons before entering these chambers?"

"I did." Shepard answered simply.

"Why didn't you?"

"I'm a Spectre of the Citadel Council; by that authority I am above your rules and regulations. My weapons stay with me until I say otherwise, and the same holds true for my squad."

"You're an arrogant son-of-a-"

"Admiral Sebastian, Officers of the Board," Ensign Williams interrupted. "I hereby demand all charges be immediately dropped against Lieutenant-Commander Shepard."

"On what grounds?" Admiral Hackett asked, speaking for the first time.

"Commander Shepard, as he just pointed out, is a Spectre, which makes him above the Alliance laws-"

"Under normal circumstances," Admiral David Anderson said, joining in on the conversation. "Yes. However, in a 3-to-1 vote the Citadel Council has decided to allow Shepard to be held accountable to the Systems Alliance."

Shepard groaned; he hoped this was not the perfect defense Ensign Williams had been talking about.

"Nevertheless, my demand still stands: all charges must be dropped, immediately."

"You had better explain yourself, Ensign." Admiral Sebastian growled, drawing himself up. "I have thrown people in the brig for much less than this insubordination."

"Sir, with all due respect, the Systems Alliance military has no jurisdiction over Kitch Shepard."

"Says who?" Admiral Hackett asked, outraged that she would consider such a notion. As he spoke, an aid came rushing up, whispering something into Hackett's ears, and while he remained calm Shepard noticed a flicker of worry behind his eyes.

"Says Article Thirteen, Section Nine, Sub-section D, Part Two of the Modified Uniform Code of Military Justice." Ensign Williams explained. "According to Article Thirteen, Section Nine, Sub-section D, Part Two of the Modified Uniform Code of Military Justice following the death of any member of the System Alliance Armed Services, while their next-of-kin will continue receiving the appropriate benefits, the deceased party or parties, in this case, Lieutenant-Commander Kitch Shepard, upon official declaration of death, shall immediately be removed from all duty rosters. Lieutenant-Commander Shepard was killed, two years ago, when the _SSV Normandy _was destroyed during routine anti-Geth patrols over the planet of Alchera. While he is obviously still very much alive, Kitch Shepard is no longer a member of the Systems Alliance Armed Forces, meaning this court-martial has no authorization to put him on trial for any criminal actions he did or did not commit following his separation from the military."

"Shepard was declared 'still-living' following a visit to the Citadel-"

"That may be true, Admiral Hackett," Williams interrupted. "But he was never officially reinstated as a member of the Alliance military, meaning the fact remains: this trial cannot be allowed to proceed."

The officers began whispering to themselves as the personnel throughout the room began to do the same thing on a much louder scale.

"I move that we dismiss the charges against Shepard." Anderson said, seizing his opportunity, and suddenly it made perfect sense. His old CO had been placed on the court-martial, and he'd used his position to get Ashley's sister to defend him, and now that it looked like Shepard had an escape route open Anderson was going to make sure he got to use it.

"I agree." Admiral Hackett suddenly added. "While it's a technicality, Ensign Williams is correct-"

The lights suddenly shut off as a massive explosion rocked the defense station. As the lights came back on alarm klaxons began to wail throughout the station as the call to man battle stations began coming through the communications speakers.

"It seems we're under attack by an unknown alien force-"

"Admirals!" Lieutenant Warrington shouted, rushing forward. "An unknown ship is holding just passed Mars. It's not engaging the fleet or trying to run, it's just watching. Sir-"

"Lieutenant?" Hackett asked.

"It's almost identical to the ship that attacked Citadel Station two years ago."

"A Reaper!" Shepard shouted, realizing what was now going on.

"_Uh, Shepard-"_

"Go ahead, Joker." Shepard said, aware the room had fallen completely silent.

"_Yeah, well, apparently someone invited the Reapers to your Welcome Home party."_

"How many?"

"_Just one, and it's_-"

"I know." Shepard cut off. "Joker, get the _Normandy _under way and meet us at Hanger 7 of the Defense Platform _Cairo_."

Shepard didn't listen to Joker's reply as he motioned for Tali and Garrus to follow him, the trio now heading for the doors as the room burst into a noisy motion.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, SHEPARD!" Admiral Sebastian roared, and once more the room went silent. "You are not going anywhere until this trial is concluded!"

Shepard stopped and spun around to face the Admiral. "Admiral, we are under attack-"

"It's so clear to me now." He mumbled. "You've done this."

"I _what_?"

"You're a desperate man. You know our case against you is fail-proof; that's why you're desperate enough to use a regulation that's been obscure for years. You knew it wouldn't work so you and your Cerberus pals are going to make us think some ancient threat from beyond the galaxy has come to-"

"You _bosh'tet_!" Tali roared, her hands going for her shotgun. "Are you really stupid enough to think Shepard's behind this?"

Shepard put his hand over Tali's, forcing her to stop: the last thing he needed was to protect an alien by killing Human marines, something that'd not win him any favors in the current situation.

"Saul," Hackett said, moving towards the Admiral. "You can't be serious; think of who you're talking to."

"I am thinking of who I'm talking to." Admiral Sebastian countered. "I'm talking to a damn traitor who'll do anything to go free." And his sidearm was suddenly in his hands, aimed directly at Shepard.

Tali and Garrus were suddenly beside Shepard, shotgun and sniper rifle now suddenly aimed at the Human Admiral's chest.

"The penalty for treason," Sebastian said. "Is execution."

"Admiral Sebastian," Anderson ordered, his own weapon now in his hands and aimed at the other Admiral. "Stand down, _now_!"

"I took an oath to defend Earth." Sebastian continued, a cold, calculating look now in his eyes. "And now I defend Earth by killing a traitor."

"If you don't trust me and let me do my job there won't be an Earth left to save!" Shepard shouted, forcing himself to not go for his weapon; it wouldn't do for him to spook his would-be murderer.

The Admiral tightened his grip on his weapon, though he seemed to suddenly realize that all of the N7 guards and several of the other Admirals now had their weapons trained on him.

"Fine." He said at long last. "Go, do what you must. However, once this is over you _will _be tried; I refuse to allow you to escape on some technicality."

"_All hands prepare to repel boarders." _A woman's voice said over the speakers as another explosion rocked the station. Shepard, in turn, un-holstered his assault rifle from his back, holding at the ready as a familiar figure joined them at the door.

"Seems just like old times, huh Skipper?"

"Ash?" Shepard asked as the door opened and the five of them exited.

"_Bosh'tet." _Tali muttered, though, Shepard noted, Ashley failed to hear the curse.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, ignoring Tali's anger-fueled words.

"Helping you get to the _Normandy." _A man said, and even without turning Shepard knew who the voice belonged to. "Lieutenant Williams is now a Spectre, Shepard."

"What?" Shepard, Tali, and Garrus exclaimed, turning to regard their old friend. In response, Ashley nodded her head.

"Half an hour ago." She answered.

"Shepard, you've got the most experience in handling Reapers." Anderson continued. "We need you to get back to the _Normandy._"

Shepard sighed; he wished the _Normandy _had been given time to begin repairs, but it seemed fate had deemed that unacceptable; they would have to make due with what they had.

"As usual, Shepard is walking calmly right into hell, and as usual we all vie to be the first to line up behind him and follow him in. Yes, it does seem like old times." Garrus answered.

"_Bosh'tet_." Tali growled, and while Shepard could not see her beautiful face beneath her visor he expected she was imagining the different ways she could hurt Ashley for what she had done...Shepard suddenly wondered just how much Garrus had told their friend about what had happened on Horizon.

The lights dimmed as another explosion rocked the station, and at the far end of the corridor the door suddenly exploded, bodies and steel going in every direction, and through the smoke suddenly appeared an army of mechs and husks.

"Yes," Shepard said, taking aim at the closest enemy. "It's _exactly _like old times."

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><p><strong>If I had to be honest, I fear I did this chapter wrong, what do you guys think?<strong>

**As usual, there are a few things I'd like to address, now that this chapter has come to an end, and I appreciate it for you baring with me.**

**First, while reading Shepard's information on the Mass Effect Wikia, I discovered that, as of _Mass Effect 2, _Shepard's official rank is that of Lieutenant-Commander, hence its usage in this chapter.**

**In regards to the Modified Uniform Code of Military Justice, I did not base it off of the United States UCMJ, though, should I elabarate further in future chapters, I may remedy that. I do not know for 100% accuracy if the defense used by Ensign Williams would work in real life, though through my research into the military I am inclined to not think it would. However, as I have said before and will say again, this fanfiction is set approximately 100+ years in the future, a future in which Humans are an emerging dominance in the galaxy, so I believe a little leeway and freedom here would be fine.**

**Now, for those of you who remember _Halo 2, _you will likely remember the defense stations in orbit around Earth. While the defense stations in this story will differ slightly from the ones seen in _Halo 2_, that is where I got the idea from: I could truly see Earth fortified in such a way when _Mass Effect 3 _is released.**

**I am kind of hesitant in having Shepard and his team assault a Reaper so soon in the story. Not only do I not know much about how one would take an active, combat-ready Reaper down we've also got to remember the _Normandy _has yet to begin repairs from the battle against the Collectors, so it is likely that will wait until later on in the story.**

**As for my decision to have Cerberus target the alien crew of the _Normandy, _as pointed out by **GoG ToXiC, **I know it sounds weird, but you got to look at it from the Illusive Man's point-of-view. Tali is the crew member closest to Shepard. If you kill her (or Mordin, Grunt, Thane, Legion, Garrus, or Samara) then Shepard _will _want revenge. If the Illusive Man's commandos are disguised then he can pretend to be innocent, help Shepard gain his vengeance, and thus regain Shepard as an asset and not an enemy. Some might also say the Illusive Man's actions are merely revenge against Shepard for stabbing the Illusive Man in the back.**

**And peace with the Geth, while good in theory, is much easier said than done. Remember, the Geth and Quarians have been at war for 300 years; even the smartest, most pragmatic, most peaceful Quarians would be wary of peace, especially when it's come about so sudden and is proposed _by _the Geth. I'll be honest: if my people spent 300 years fighting someone and then they suddenly decided to sue for peace I'd not trust them. **

**Don't worry though, we're all in for some excitement, I promise. And, as usual, I thank everyone for their reviews; they help out, a lot.**

**And finally, for those of you wondering, yes, there will be a major confrontation in the near future between Tali and Ashley over what she did and said on Horizon, so stay tuned, because that's sure to be an interesting chapter.**

**Oh, and before I forget, I could find no data on any kind of oath taken by Spectres, so I made up my own and, as they say, went with the flow.**

**I hope everyone liked this latest chapter and I hope to read your reviews soon. **


	7. From Cairo to Normandy

**Okay everyone, I am so sorry it's taken so long to update, but we've all been very busy moving into the new house, so I've been temporarily delayed in typing up anything new. The good news, though, is that, after four days with no running water all water leaks have been fixed and we're situated.**

**As usual, I don't own _Mass Effect..._do I really have to keep repeating myself here? Now, for the poll results. **

_When writing a fanfiction, do you ever use your real name, the names of friends and family members, locations, events, etc. in your real life?_

**Yes: **36% **No: **63%

**Very interesting results. I, myself, have been known to use the likenesses of people who hurt and anger me, and sometimes I do use situations I myself have ever been through, though I've yet to use my or anyone else's real name.**

**Now, I have a new poll up, which will run through Halloween, so please, do go check it out and cast your votes.**

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><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES BY<strong> Guardian Kitch**:**

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_

_**Harry Potter and the Touch of Destiny**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 007: From Cairo to Normandy<strong>_

{**0820; 8:20 a.m.**}

[**Location: **Defense Platform _Cairo_]

(**Earth - Sol System - Local Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

The corridor was still choked with smoke, but this did not keep the lead mechs from opening fire. As gunfire sprayed all around Shepard and his enlarged squad, they each opened fire.

Choosing each shot carefully, Shepard noted that these mechs were unlike any he'd every come across before. They stood slightly taller than he did and were wide and well armored. Each robot had two arms and two legs, but their heads were sitting almost directly on their shoulders, making it much more difficult to destroy their central brain units, and each held an Alliance Standard issue M7 Lancer Assault Rifle. The metal used to make the mechs was of a type Shepard had never seen before either, as was their paint schemes.

"_Keelah." _Tali, standing on Shepard's right, gasped. "Their armor's tough." And as if to prove her words she poured more shotgun fire into the torso of the lead mech, which merely kept moving and firing.

"Garrus," Shepard said, firing off another volley of fire from his own M-96 Mattock Heavy Rifle. "Load your armor piercing ammo and start sniping their heads."

As Shepard finished speaking he dropped the half-empty clip from his assault rifle and jammed in a clip of special cryo ammunition.

Shepard heard Garrus's sniper rifle crack from behind him, and he watched helplessly as the shot merely dented the armor of the mech that was only feet from Shepard and Tali.

"Ashley," Shepard continued, a plan formulating in his head already. "You and Admiral Anderson concentrate on the husks. Tali, Garrus, I'll use cryo ammo to freeze a section of the mech bodies, and then you finish them off by firing on that spot."

And fitting words to action Shepard took aim at that same mech and opened fire. His ammunition began pocketing the mech's head and surrounding shoulder, and slowly, as though it didn't want to work at first, the mech's head and surrounding shoulder began to freeze, and, following Shepard's directive, Tali and Garrus opened a volley of fire on that single section, and the effect was immediately obvious; after several seconds the top of the mech began to hiss smoke and sparks, and finally, defiant to the end, the mech fell.

Shepard, however, now knew how to fell these massive, never-before-seen mechs, and with Tali and Garrus continuing to follow his last directive, Shepard continued freezing the heads of the mechs one-by-one; as his two greatest friends focused their fire on one mech Shepard was already moving to another, freezing its head so that the sniper rifle and shotgun could finish it off.

Slowly, steadily, the five heroes pushed forward, using their perfect, methodical teamwork to cut through the mech-and-husk army in front of them.

Realizing that, on the other side of the corridor, Anderson was already out of ammunition for his sole weapon, an older-looking pistol, Shepard pulled his own M-27 Scimitar Assault Shotgun free of its holster along his lower back, and not turning to face his old commanding officer Shepard tossed the older man the weapon, and as he caught the weapon in mid-air Shepard tossed began tossing him what ammunition he'd packed for the weapon.

Ashley, realizing how much fire power they'd lost for this single exchange, moved forward, tossing a grenade into the midst of the remaining forces being arrayed against them. The resulting explosion sent machinery and husk parts everywhere.

Now only two mechs remained, and once more that perfect teamwork swung into action, Shepard using his deadly aim to freeze the heads and surrounding shoulders of the pair of mechs while Tali, Garrus, Ashley, and Anderson finished them off.

As the final mech fell, Shepard ejected his now-empty clip and jammed in a second clip of his specialty cryo ammunition.

"Joker," Shepard said, now speaking through the comm unit in his helmet. "Is the _Normandy _underway yet?"

_"Ah, you know me Commander." _Joker said sarcastically. _"When there's a fight I just sit around and watch."_

"We're making our way back to Hanger 7 of the defense station _Cairo _now; can you meet us there in five minutes?"

_"Your chariot will be waiting for you, Commander." _Joker said. _"Why is it, though, you always wait until we're damaged and being fired on by half the galaxy to decide you need a ride?"_

"Because," Shepard said, unable to help his own laugh. "It just seems more fun that way. Besides, I've gotta keep you on your toes somehow."

He heard Joker give another wry laugh as he moved forward, following the rest of his comrades down the battle-torn corridor, stepping through the mech and husk parts as he moved.

Shepard heard a sudden sound of movement from behind him, and, turning to regard the source of the sound, he watched as a husk, not fully destroyed by Ashley's well-placed grenade, pulled itself up and launched forward at Shepard, who, along with his crew, was in no position to stop it...

Another sound filled the corridor, one Shepard knew all too well. It was the currently-beautiful sound of small-caliber automatic gunfire, friendly fire that quickly cut the sole remaining husk to ribbons.

"You know, Shep, if I charged you for every time I save your life I'd be rich enough to buy my own planet."

"Kasumi." Shepard greeted. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd gotten lost following me."

"You wanted information." She explained, holding up her omni-tool.

"What'd you learn?"

"A lot."

"Hmm. Well, right now's not the best time to discuss it." Shepard admitted, turning to rejoin the others as Kasumi effortlessly caught up with him. As they approached the lift at the end of the corridor another explosion rocked the station, but this time the lights failed to come back on, causing the red emergency lights to flash into existence as the station's auxiliary power was forced to kick in.

"The lifts will run off of the backup power." Anderson explained as the lift door opened as normal.

"It doesn't make any sense." Shepard mused as the group entered the elevator together. "Why would only one Reaper come to Earth, and where did it come from?"

"It couldn't have come from outside of the galaxy." Tali answered. "If it had then the other Reapers would be with it."

"It could be another vanguard, like _Sovereign_ was." Garrus added.

"That still doesn't explain these mechs." Ashley said. "I've never seen anything like them before, and their paint doesn't match any known Alliance or Citadel enemies."

"Perhaps," Anderson considered slowly. "Perhaps this Reaper is a vanguard from the edges of the galaxy. It found a new species of some kind and used the same control powers it used on Saren."

"Joker," Shepard said as the lift began to slow down. "Has the Reaper moved any?"

"_Negative, Commander; it's still sitting out there, enjoying the party."_

"The attack is just a diversion." Shepard declared, a sudden theory popping into his mind.

"A diversion?" Anderson asked. "To keep our attention here while the rest of the Reapers attack another, more valuable target?"

Shepard shook his head. "Not so much a diversion as a scouting ploy." He explained, testing this theory out in his mind. "It's scouting our defenses, our reaction times, and our tactics, which it will then report back to the main Reaper fleet. Admiral Sebastian, it's Shepard; you copy?"

"_I copy you, traitor. What do you want?"_

"Have you called in reinforcements?"

"_Affirmative."_

"Call them off."

"_Do you want to run that by me again, traitor?"_

"Call off any reinforcements you already have en route: the attack isn't real."

"_Isn't real?" _The admiral in charge of Earth's Home Defense Forces asked with a growl. _"The Earth Defense Platforms _Moscow, Berlin, Toronto, Madrid, _and _Paris _have already been destroyed, the _Cairo, London, _and _Washington _have been severely damaged, and the enemy fleet is beginning to move into position to bombard the planet from orbit: if this attack isn't real I'd hate to see a real attack."_

"It's a ploy, sir; that Reaper is holding its position well away from the battle so that it can watch and analyze our defense strategies, reaction times, and overall fleet strength."

"_Listen, _Shepard_, as your defense attorney so pointedly told us, you are no longer officially a member of the Systems Alliance-"_

"Admiral Sebastian," Anderson said, raising his omni-tool to his face. "This is Admiral Anderson. By orders of the Citadel Council I have already belayed your call for reinforcements; we will defend Earth with the fleet materials already present."

'_I-yes, sir, as you order."_

"Shepard," Anderson said as the lift doors finally opened. "I sure hope you're right about this."

"Look on the bright side, sir; if I'm wrong we'll never know it." Shepard said, leading the charge forward, across the small platform, to take the train and get it moving before any more surprises decided to join them.

As the train shot forward Shepard turned his attention to the clear tunnel outside of the train, looking down at the planet below. Even from this limited viewpoint the group of six could see huge, deadly ships, the likes of which they'd never seen before, beginning to position themselves above the Human race's planet of origin, and, helplessly, sadness filling their hearts, they watched as the massive fleet opened fire, streaks of green plasma lancing out at the planet, lashing through the atmosphere to incinerate entire cities...in only a single minute the smoke was so thick they could see it from space as massive chunks of land began to blaze.

"_Admiral Sebastian to Admiral Anderson."_

"Go ahead, Admiral." Anderson ordered, again speaking into his omni-tool.

"_Sir, the First Fleet had already gone through the Mass Relay when your new set of orders went through; what are our orders?"_

"Use them." Shepard said, not taking his eyes off of the burning planet. "It'll be impossible to cancel their jump now, and besides, I think perhaps my initial thoughts would be wrong: this will show we still have some power, and it may buy us a little extra time."

"Order them to begin breaking up that fleet around Earth with tactics of your choice, Admiral."

"_Aye, sir."_

"The Earth Home Defense Fleet and the First Fleet combined should be enough to repel the attack." Anderson said hopefully.

"EDI," Shepard said, once more speaking into his helmet. "Can you tag the enemy flagship?" He asked. "Can you figure out where their field commander is operating from?"

"_Of course I can Commander." _The _Normandy's _AI answered. _"I will have the requested data prepared for you upon your return to the _Normandy._"_

No sooner had the AI spoken than the train came screeching to a halt...Shepard groaned, finally taking his eyes off of the burning planet below.

"What happened?" He asked, looking around the train as though he might fight an answer.

"The only way to stop these trains is from the control center, which, if I remember correctly, is five levels below us." Anderson answered.

"Can we get there from here?" Shepard asked. Anderson nodded.

"About four hundred feet ahead there's a hatch built into the bottom of the tunnel: it will take you three levels down; you'll have to work your way from there to the control room, I'm afraid."

Shepard nodded his head as he forced the train door open and made to step out. "I'll get the train moving again and meet you at the-"

His words were cut off as an explosion shook the front of the train, whose armor began to buckle in protest. Looking forward through the front glass of the damaged train they all watched as mechs twice the size of those they'd destroyed outside of the trial room. Unlike those other mechs, however, these had twin rocket launchers for a right hand and automatic assault rifles built into their left.

"_Keelah." _Tali groaned. "There's no way we'll take them out."

'And," Ashley added. "If this tunnel takes too much damage it'll be destroyed and we'll all be sucked into the vacuum of space."

"Is there a way to get to Hanger Seven from that level?" Shepard asked as another explosion destroyed what little protective armor was left of the front of the train.

"It'll take double the time, but yes." Anderson answered.

"Let's get moving then." Shepard ordered, standing to the side and motioning for the others to rush through the open side of the train. "Like Tali said, there's no way we'll take them all out before they breach this tunnel; we need to have that hatch closed and the passageway pressurized before this tunnel goes."

As he finished speaking he ejected his cryo ammunition clip and replaced it with regular ammunition; there was no need, he saw, to waste such valuable ammunition when he knew it would have no effect.

In unison the group opened fire, knowing their attack was nothing but show, something they could use to perhaps frighten the mechs and keep them from moving closer.

This, Shepard reprimanded himself, was why he should have brought along his trusted M-622 Avalanche, something he knew would punch through even the heavy armor of these unknown mechs.

As his clip emptied out Shepard and his companions reached the hatch Anderson had been talking about, and once he'd wrenched the hatch opened Shepard replaced his empty clip and again began spraying cover fire over the mass of mechs, which had ceased firing their rockets following the daring charge forward, and covering his squad Shepard continued the barrage until all five were safely below them, and, as his clip emptied once more, Shepard turned and began climbing down the steep stairs, stopping just long enough to close the hatch behind them, and, slamming his free palm against a button on the side marked "TUNNEL BREACH", he again began climbing down rapidly, choosing to be as far away as possible when the tunnel finally went.

Once at the bottom Shepard paused just long enough to again replace his empty ammunition clip, and, once that task was over, he turned once more to his oldest friend, who in turn pointed the direction.

"This corridor runs the length of the tracks. At the end is another lift, but it will only take us one level higher. We'll then follow that corridor to Barrack G, where we'll turn right and go down another corridor to a lift that will take us two levels higher, where we'll come out onto a convocation platform. From there we'll take a final corridor, which will lead us straight to the hanger."

"Leave it to the Alliance to make such a simple trip so complicated." Shepard muttered, turning and running down the corridor Anderson had indicated, his squad in hot pursuit.

"I wonder where the mechs and husks are." As he heard a shattering explosion echo down from above. "Aside from the ones outside of my trial and those who took out the train, we've run into no enemy forces."

"They've likely focused their boarding attempts on the upper levels, where the station's CIC and Bridge are located."

"But why board instead of just destroying the station like they did the others."

"It could be a number of reasons." Garrus explained. "The station could be so heavily defended that they need to set a bomb in order to destroy the station, or they could be looking to conquer the station and then use its weapons to take out the other nearby stations and ships."

"Allowing even just the _Cairo _to fall into enemy hands could be disastrous." Anderson explained. "In addition to the standard weapons, shields, and armors, the _Cairo _and several other stations are armed with nuclear warheads solely designed to fire on Earth."

"Nukes?" Shepard asked as they entered the lift, turning to regard his old friend. "Why aim _nukes _at Earth?"

"In case the planet was ever conquered; it's strictly a last-ditch plan designed during the First Contact War. If an enemy were to invade and conquer Earth we would be able to remotely access and launch the warheads at any location on Earth or Luna; the enemy forces would be decimated."

"But the civilian casualties-" Shepard began, but Anderson cut him off.

"As I said, Shepard, it's a last-ditch plan, when every other possible option fails, a plan I never personally supported."

"Can those warheads be disarmed, for good, if one of these stations were to fall into enemy hands?" Ashley asked. Anderson nodded his head.

"Only two people have the access codes to permanently disarm those warheads."

"Who?" Shepard asked.

"Admiral Sebastian and myself." Anderson explained. "I received the codes following my promotion to Admiral and my seat on the Citadel Council."

"Admiral Sebastian would never disarm the warheads." Shepard explained. "Admiral, once we're aboard the _Normandy _could you give that command?" Shepard asked. "We'll not be around to prevent the _Cairo, _or any of the other nuclear stations, from falling into enemy hands; they cannot be allowed to turn those missiles to Earth."

Anderson nodded his head. "If you're right then we have little to worry about in the way of an invasion, so that scenario will likely not be needed."

"_Commander, your chariot awaits." _Joker's voice said through Shepard's helmet, and in response Shepard shook his head, as though expecting the pilot to see it.

"We've been delayed, Joker." He explained. "It'll be at least another five or ten minutes before we can join you."

"_I don't think we can wait another five or ten minutes; enemy fighters are all over us, and so is the enemy fleet-"_

"Maintain evasive maneuvers." Shepard ordered, understanding the situation his beloved ship was in. "I'll contact you once we're ready for evac."

There was no response from the crippled pilot, but this did not worry the veteran soldier, for, as Shepard led his squad out of the lift and into the corridor beyond, he knew Joker enough to know the man was doing all he could to keep the _Normandy _safe until the shore party was again onboard.

The corridor was empty, but Shepard kept his rifle up and ready as he led the charge towards Barrack G, which, even from this distance, looked to be completely locked down.

"Someone inside the barracks must have locked them down: I'm overriding the security devices now."

Only fifteen feet from the barrack door the muffled sound of a scream echoed throughout the corridor, causing Shepard and his followers to pick up their pace as the door finally slid open.

What the seasoned warrior found inside of Barrack G made him see red, and without even realizing what he was doing he had taken aim and opened fire on the closest of a group of smaller, skinnier, weaker-looking mechs, which sported the same color scheme as those they'd run into earlier. The mechs, it quickly became apparent, had not just killed the soldiers who'd defended the barracks, but they had tortured the soldiers, apparently taking delight in the pain they were causing, and now, when they'd decided the battle was over, the were searching for wound soldiers, soldiers not yet dead, and reaching their skinny mouths into their heads to pull their spines free, something Shepard, in all of his years, had never before seen...at least, not in person.

These mechs, Shepard and his team discovered, were indeed much weaker than their earlier counterparts: in only a couple of quick, effortless minutes they'd eliminated over two dozen of the machine.

"Are there any survivors?" Anderson asked aloud as the team spread out to check the human bodies for any sign of life. Shepard, Kasumi, Garrus, Tali, and Ashley all hung their heads and gave a sad, depressed shake.

"_Keelah Se'Lai." _Tali said as Shepard moved forward as per the directions Anderson had given him.

"God Speed." Ashley added, and, turning, Shepard noticed, with a great deal of surprise, that both women were standing there, shoulder-to-shoulder, heads bowed in solemn remembrance of those lost souls.

Yet another explosion shook the station, and this time the _Cairo _took on a slight list, slanting the floor to the starboard side.

"We have to hurry." Anderson shouted, following Shepard down the next corridor. "I'm not too sure about how much more damage the _Cairo _can take."

"Perhaps we're not the only ones who've met with success against the boarders." Tali theorized. "Maybe they've decide to call back their shore forces so that they can simply destroy the entire station."

"I think they're trying to deactivate our defenses." Ashley countered. "Most mechs have magnetized feet, which means even if a ship or station capsizes or loses gravity they'll remain upright as where organics wouldn't. I doubt a list or capsize would stop the nukes from launching."

"The _Cairo _alone could destroy 80% to 90% of all human life on Earth." Anderson added grimly, gently reminding the squad of what could happen if they failed as they raced for the lift at the end of the corridor.

"I'm still confused." Ashley admitted. "We've only encountered three pockets of invaders. If they're focusing all of their attention on the CIC and Bridge, why are these boarders so out-of-the-way?"

"Because," Garrus answered as the lift doors slid open. "They hit the barracks to neutralize any threats the stations garrison might pose. They attacked Shepard's hearing because of the number of high-ranking officials present, and they attacked the train to keep Shepard pinned down, away from the major action. They'll hit the smaller, important areas so that when they capture the Commander Center they'll have no threat of an insurgency taking it back from them before they can launch those missiles."

"Admiral Sebastian," Shepard called once more. "Do you copy?"

"_Goddamn you, you filthy traitor; what do you want this time?"_

"Are the boarders attempting to take control of the CIC and/or Bridge?"

"_That's affirmative; they've got us pinned down, but we can hold until you get here."_

"Negative, Admiral." Shepard corrected. "We're not coming to your assistance."

"_Why not?"_

"I've got a different strategy-"

"_I don't care, Shepard." _Sebastian ordered. _"I am hereby ordering you to report to the CIC to assist in repelling these boarders-"_

"With all due respect, Admiral, I'm no longer a member of the Alliance Armed Forces, so you can take those orders and shove them up your frigate. My crew and I will be launching our own raid on the enemy flagship. However, any additional forces I find we'll send your way."

"_Shepard, I will personally shoot you-"_

"I look forward to it, sir." Shepard said.

"What's your plan, Shepard?" Anderson asked.

"Once we're aboard the _Normandy _you'll disarm the nuclear warheads aboard the various stations, and then we'll figure some way to board the enemy flagship, kill or capture the enemy commander, and force the remaining ships to retreat."

"Is the new _Normandy _equipped with boarding craft?" The Admiral asked. Shepard, in turn, shook his head.

"We have a Kodiak shuttle, but it's too damaged to use. We'll figure something out, though."

"Why not just coordinate the fleets and remaining defense platforms to destroy it?" Ashley asked.

"Because," Shepard responded immediately. "We know nothing about our attackers and how they're involved with the Reapers. The boarding will be as much a reconnaissance mission as it will be a capture/assassination mission. We've got dark days lying ahead of us, and more knowledge will light our way."

As Shepard finished speaking the lift doors open and the squad of six poured out of the lift...and directly into a massive firefight.

Over a hundred mechs and dozens of husks were pouring onto the convocation platform from the direction of Hanger Seven, and at the moment they were being stopped by only fifty Alliance soldiers.

Immediately Shepard and the others opened fire, rushing to take cover behind spilled containers, crates, and various objects. His rate of fire not slowing down even for a moment, Shepard raised his head high above his current defensive obstacles, a series of food crates, and quickly took in the situation.

The mechs they were now fighting were of the same make and model as those they'd faced in Barrack G, but their numbers alone were turning the tide against the humans. High above the convocation platform, on a series of maintenance catwalks, several marines had set up anti-infantry machine guns and were raining fire down onto the mechs from above, but while they were cutting an amazing swath of damage and destruction through the enemy lines, the numbers game was still overwhelming the brave alliance defenders.

In addition, Shepard saw, their obstacle field stretched all the way across the convocation platform, meaning that, if they used their cover effectively, they could slowly make their way across the platform.

"Okay," Shepard began, bending back down as he ejected yet another empty clip. "Let's spread out, use the obstacles as our way forward. On my single run forward and take cover as soon as possible, and then we'll move forward again...slowly, safely, we'll cross the platform, and then we can fight our way into Hanger 7."

He jammed another clip of ammunition into his rifle, and, somehow knowing it was time to move, he nodded his head.

"Move, now!"

He vaulted over the crates and the moment his feet touched the deck once more he was crouched and running, firing on any mech or husk he saw. Once he reached cover he pressed his back against the stack of Mako tires, cut down any hostile forces near him, and darted around the tires, moving forward again.

Slowly, steadily, the six of them moved forward, covering one another as they approached the corridor that would take them to the hanger and their awaiting ship. Finally, after almost five continuous, dangerous minutes, they were at the very edge of the corridor. What they discovered, however, was more than a little disheartening: the entire corridor was filled with mech after mech after husk. Shepard, Ashley, and Garrus stood together on the left side of the corridor, hunched down, while Tali, Anderson, and Kasumi mirrored them on the other side, and, looking each other in the eyes, they knew their chances of cutting through such numbers was next to impossible.

The question of how they were going to cut through the enemy lines, however, was soon answered. No sooner had Shepard raised his weapon, preparing to charge forward, than the sound of continuous machine gun fire filled the corridor, bullets spraying out onto the convocation platform as someone or something began slashing through the enemy numbers, coming towards them from the hanger.

The squad stayed where they were at, choosing instead to return fire on any mechs or husks that chose to come near them, holding their position until at last a petite figure entered, one of the Alliance's new S-66 Gatlin Guns held firmly in both hands, her familiar black hair tied up in its bun.

"Amy?" Ashley asked in surprise, looking her younger sister up and down as the girl continued holding the massive weapon.

"I only chose JAG because chasing Batarians got too boring." The girl explained. "Sir," She said, turning and offering Shepard a crisp salute. "The hanger's clear and you're ready for dust off."

"What about you?" Ashley asked as they raced down the corridor, Shepard sending Joker the signal that they were there and ready.

"I'm staying aboard to coordinate the defense of _Cairo: _the CIC and Bridge are under siege as we speak."

And, not bothering to say anything else, she turned and took off once more for the Convocation Platform.

"Guess it runs in the family." Shepard joked as they approached the Hanger, where, to his relief, the _Normandy _was no waiting, the cargo hold opened and ready for them to enter, his remaining squad lined up and ready to provide cover fire.

At that moment, however, a group of the deadly rocket mechs marched in from the other side of the hanger, the direction Shepard had gone earlier to get to his trial.

"Run, now!" Shepard shouted, moving forward while emptying the rest of his magazine on massive mechs, doing virtually no damage.

Ahead of Shepard, Anderson, Garrus, Ashley, and Kasumi darted for the safety of the battered but breathing _Normandy, _and behind Shepard Tali was adding her shotgun fire to his own rifle fire, though it still had no affect on the massive mechs...

The lead mech took sudden aim and fired, but at first Shepard figured the aim had been off: the missile zoomed straight above him. The resulting explosion, however, changed his mind.

The shockwave from the blast sent Shepard and his rifle sailing towards the _Normandy, _and even as he landed he was turning to watch, helplessly, as Tali was pinned down by a ton of debris.

"TALI!" He shouted, fighting to stand back up.

"_Uh, Commander," _Joker said. _"We can't hold for much longer: we're taking too much enemy fire; our Kinetic Barriers are down to 15%."_

"No one gets left behind." Shepard growled, holstering his assault rifle and rushing forward to save Tali.

Adrenaline now pumping through him Shepard gathered as much strength as he could muster, and, groaning loudly, he lifted up on the debris, and holding it there, he used his right foot to free her of the tomb that had almost been hers.

A rocket shot forward from the _Normandy,_ and not bothering to look up Shepard knew it had likely been Jacob who'd just destroyed the squad of rocket mechs. Keeping his head down as more mechs entered, Shepard rolled a groaning Tali over, checking her suit for any puncture, of which he found none.

"That's a good sign." He muttered, hoisting Tali onto his shoulders.

"_Commander-"_

"Joker, get the _Normandy _moving, now."

"_Commander-"_

"Do it, Joker!" Shepard ordered, steadying himself with the extra weight of the Quarian draped across his shoulders.

Up ahead the _Normandy _was beginning to pull away from the besieged station, and reaching deep down inside of himself Shepard charged forward, rifle fire striking out all around him.

"Shepard-" Tali began, but in turn Shepard cut her off. He was now, he knew, only twenty feet from the end of the hanger: at twenty feet and one inch he would be in the hard, cold vacuum of space, with no breath mask on his helmet; he'd be as good as dead, especially considering the _Normandy _was already twenty feet from the edge of the hanger.

Looking at the rest of his assembled crew, however, Shepard knew his bold plan would work. His crew, he knew, trusted him. Even the loners, like Jack and Zaeed, had come to give him their full trust. He had earned this honor over the course of countless grueling and deadly campaigns, by completing missions most important to each of them, by putting them ahead of him. Now, he decided, it was time to reverse the roles. Now, he could clearly see, was the time for _Shepard_ to trust his crew.

Reaching the edge of the hanger, Shepard did not slow down, he did not falter. As he reached the edge of the hanger he took in a final breath of oxygen, held it, and jumped, his momentum propelled by the sudden loss of gravity.

Immediately Miranda, Jack, and Samara reached out to him, their hands glowing blue as they used their biotic abilities to grab both him and Tali, pulling him safely towards the fleeing _Normandy_: thirty seconds later it was all over as Shepard's boots landed firmly on the deck of the _Normandy SR-2_.

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><p><strong>So, how did everyone like the latest chapter? Yes, I know, it's definitly not my longest, but hey, it's far from my shortest too. Still, a small part of me feels like I may have messed up a few things.<strong>

**Like I said at the beginning of Chapter One, it's been one full year now since I played _Mass Effect 2_, and during that time I never got a chance to play any of the DLC, thus I never got Kasumi or Zaeed on my squad, nor did I actually acquire the M-96 Mattock Heavy Assault Rifle, which, in short, means I'm having to rely on outside sources such as the God-send Mass Effect Wiki, which has been the backbone of this fic; without it this story would not be as far along as it is now. The reason I have Shepard using this weapon is because this fic operates under the assumption that I _did _play the DLC missions.**

**And as for Shepard's tactic to take down the heavier mechs at the beginning, I used Cryo Ammo because I've always believed something is much easier to break when it's frozen. **

**Now, as for these mechs, I designed them using the Super Battle Droids of the Confederacy of Independent Systems from the _Star Wars _saga.**

**In response to the review left by **GoG ToXiC**, I did not know that Cerberus was going to be indoctrinated for _Mass Effect 3_, a fact I thank you very much for bringing up; that does definitly open up some new areas of possibilities. Though, to be completely honest, I see the _Illusive Man _as too smart and, in this case, wise to allow himself to become indoctrinated by the Reapers.**

**As for the review left by **Demonshadows**, I did not originally intend Chapter Six to show how backroom politics tend to operate, but looking back, given the situation of the political firestorm overtaking America, I think perhaps it's a good thing.**

**And finally, in regards to the review left by **Mr. Eclipse**, as well as a point made by **GoG ToXiC**, there is definitly more to this lone Reaper than meets the eye. I won't give away everything here, but I will say this: Shepard and his squad have proposed quite a few theories about this Reaper, and each one has at least one correct idea, though several of them _are _false...we'll definitly find out more in the next one to two chapters, so stay tuned.**

**And I believe that's everything for this chapter. I can't wait to read your reviews and see what you guys think. I promise you, though, the next chapter will have much more action than this last chapter had. Hopefully it'll also answer some of your questions about this lone Reaper.**


	8. Hard Contact

**Yay, a week later and this is the longest chapter thus far for _Mass Effect III: Union._**

**As usual, I do not own _Mass Effect_, though I wish I did. Yep, you know the drill.**

**Also, don't forget the poll on my profile page, which will run through Halloween. Thanks to all who have already voted.**

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><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES BY<strong> Guardian Kitch**:**

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_

_**Harry Potter and the Touch of Destiny**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 008: Hard Contact<strong>_

{**0831: 8:31 a.m.**}

[**Location: **Bridge, _Normandy SR-2_}

(**Earth - Sol System - Local Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

Shepard's approach to the _Normandy's _Bridge was less of a graceful or meaningful walk and more of an urgent, stampeding run. While the rest of his squad ran behind him, Shepard charged forward, dodging and spinning anything and anyone who got in his way like a graceful ballroom dancer, his chest heaving as his heart raced to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of his body.

Just out of the cockpit Shepard watched proudly as the ship's Thanix Cannon obliterated a small frigate sporting the same markings as the mechs they'd destroyed aboard the _Cairo. _That, however, was about the only good news of the day thus far.

The space around Earth was, in all senses of the words, chaotic and hellish. Hundreds upon hundreds of massive enemy warships, various classes and designs Shepard and his crew had never before seen, were systematically dissecting the battered and bloodied Earth Home Defense Fleet, which now looked only like a group of unorganized, poorly-trained pirates caught with their pants down.

Several of the enemy ships had already moved past several destroyed Defense Platforms, sister stations of the _Cairo, _and were now engaged with the warships that were massed around Earth, moving to assist in protecting the remaining hundreds of platforms. As he stood there, watching the scene unfold as an injured, tired, but still-standing _Normandy _zoomed in and out of the battle, Shepard suddenly realized with startling clarity what the enemy commander's mission was.

"They're trying to move into position to bomb the planet from orbit." He muttered, more to himself than to anyone else in particular.

"Who are they?" Anderson asked. "And what would they accomplish by slagging Earth?"

"The Reaper." Shepard explained. "It's indoctrinated this commander, whoever he is, and is watching as he attacks Earth. It's a win/win situation for the Reapers: if the attack succeeds and Earth is glassed then this sole Reaper will have dealt a fatal blow to the Alliance."

"And if it fails?" Miranda asked. "All it will have done is piss the Alliance off-"

"But it will have accurate details and intelligence on our strategies, defenses, so on so forth, information that could save the Reapers from failure." Shepard explained on, putting to words the only theory that made sense. "That Reaper's not going to engage the Alliance, whether we win or lose: either way, once this battle's decided it will vanish."

"So," Joker summarized in his usual way. "Either we fight and get our asses kicked, or we stand down, lose Earth, and still get our asses kicked. Hmm...I'll take the ass-kicking for a thousand, please."

"Hmm." Shepard mused, an idea already forming in his mind, one that would risk the entire planet of Earth as well as all of the Earth Home Defense Fleet. It was also, however, an idea, that if successful, could give them just the edge they needed against the coming Reaper invasion. "Admiral," He said, turning to look at his old friend. "You have the power to override Admiral Sebastian, right?"

"In theory." Anderson answered. "Why?"

"I have a plan."

"I'm listening."

"It's like Joker said. If we fight back and drive the enemy away that Reaper will have gained valuable intel on our force sizes, strengths, weaknesses, tactics, and tendencies, information the Reapers can then use against us. If we don't fight back, however, we lose Earth and a sizable portion of the overall Alliance Fleet."

"What are you proposing, Commander?" Jacob asked.

"We give them what they want." Shepard explained. "This Reaper, in all likelihood, expects us to win this battle. It is, as has been already pointed out, hanging out, safely away from the battle, to watch us, observe us, and learn about us. I say if it's willing to learn then let's teach it."

"Yeah, now I'm lost." Joker said as a mass of torpedoes narrowly missed the _Normandy_.

"You're not alone." Miranda added.

"We'll fight back, and let them learn our tactics. Instead of using actual tactics, however, we'll use different tactics, new tactics, strategies that can later be discarded in favor of better ones when this war actually begins."

"In other words," Garrus said suddenly. "When we finally confront the Reapers they'll be expecting you to fight with a pistol, and instead you'll go at them with a shotgun."

"In a way, yes. Alliance strategies and tactics are, overall, aggressive. Therefore, I say we win this battle by playing defense."

"The Defense Platforms!" Anderson exclaimed, and as everyone turned to regard him he quickly began explaining.

"The platforms closest to Earth haven't been hit yet. They are among the strongest and most heavily defended. They also have a feature none of the others have."

"What?" Shepard asked.

"Kinetic Barrier generators. Originally, it was designed as a way to protect the planet from wayward asteroids that came too close. However, following the First Contact War they barriers were strengthen to withstand a full military assault."

"I so understand now; I feel _so _enlightened." Joker said sarcastically.

"I get it." Shepard said, looking at the positioning of each lower platform. "They activate the generators, forming a kind of fence around the planet with each platform acting as a fence post and the Kinetic Barriers playing the part of the actual fence."

The cockpit was silent as Shepard ran a preliminary plan through his mind, rejected it, fine-tuned it, rejected it again, and then upgraded it some more. Finally, after nearly a full minute, he smiled.

"I have it!" He exclaimed. "EDI, have you located the enemy flagship?"

_"That is affirmative, Commander Shepard." _The AI answered. _"The enemy commands appear to originate from the massive triangle ship at the rear of the enemy fleet."_

In response the _Normandy _banked hard to port, and in mere seconds the ship EDI was speaking of filled the space before them.

_"Keelah." _Tali said, giving word to the collected gasp taken by those in the ship's cockpit.

The ship was, as EDI had suggested, a triangle ship. The form of a perfect triangle, a massive hanger bay appeared to cover the majority of the ship's dorsal area, with weapons covering even the hanger doors. At the back, or the base, of the ship was a massive 'T' shaped structure that had to be the bridge.

"That thing's as big as the Citadel itself." Garrus said, obviously impressed by the super weapon.

"Here's what we'll do." Shepard said, turning back once more to face Anderson. "Order the fleet to retreat towards the planet. Once they're beyond the final layer of defense platforms activate the Kinetic Fence. This will leave the other platforms to fend for themselves, but that's a risk we'll have to take."

"If the other platforms can link their fire they should, at least temporarily, be able to defend themselves." Anderson corrected.

"So, we hide behind Kinetic Barriers." Joker said. "And what? Hope they get bored and go pick on someone else?"

"No." Shepard answered as the massive triangle ship's dorsal hangers began to open. "We're going to board that massive ship and take out the enemy commander; cut off the head and the body dies."

"How do you suggest we do that, Commander?" Miranda asked. "The Kodiak's too damaged, and the _Normandy _isn't equipped with any kind of combat boarding craft."

"No." Shepard agreed. "But it _is _equipped with the new Mark III escape pods."

His XO's eyes lit up as she realized what he was suggesting. "Those main hangers are opening up: while it's launching its fighter craft we'll jettison the pods and board through the hanger."

Shepard nodded. "Everyone, get to the escape pods, now." He ordered. "And make sure you stock up on as much ammunition as you can possibly carry: we'll need it. Admiral, can you give the-"

"Already on it, Shepard." Anderson answered, moving towards the CIC as everyone rushed to comply with Shepard's orders. Shepard, knowing that time was of the essence, still could not move from that spot, now so transfixed on the massive target he'd chosen to go after.

The ship wasn't beautiful, even by Krogan standards, and it wasn't terribly flashy, but Shepard still felt a budding respect for it: like him it was a soldier, designed to find and destroy the enemy, wherever and whoever he may be.

"Umm...Commander." Joker said a minute later. "This really isn't going to work if our fearless leader is down there kicking bad-guy ass."

"Huh?" Shepard asked stupidly, forcing his mind off of the ship. He glanced down at his pilot, and realizing what Joker had said he turned and took off, stopping by the armory just long enough to collect several more magazines of ammunition for his rifle. Then, loaded with additional firepower, he turned and made a beeline for the escape pods, where the crew had assembled, three per pod.

He slid into the pod containing Ashley and Jacob, and as he closed the hatch behind him he signaled to Joker that they were ready.

Even as they heard the hull begin to retract in preparation for their launch, EDI's voice came over the pod speakers. _"We will be directly over the enemy flagship in five. Four. Three. Two. One. Launch."_

As EDI's voice went silent the pods gave a sudden, gut-churning launch, and out of the square glass at the pod's front they could see the giant hanger grow constantly larger as they began their approach towards the enemy vessel, who suddenly seemed to understand their tactics and in response was beginning the slow process of closing the hanger doors.

The new Mark III pods, as Shepard recalled, were made with in-sync automatic navigation systems, meaning that no one had to manually fly the pod during its trek. The pod's radar and sonar systems detected anything in the pod's route and made the proper compensations to avoid collision, a system Shepard had ordered disabled during his ammunition gathering. With special state-of-the-art crash barriers, they could survive impact with any of a hundred surfaces, which, as Shepard continued to reflect, was a very good thing for the situation they now found themselves in.

The dorsal hanger was now close enough for Shepard to see not only the individual fighter craft but each and every pilot, mech, and husk inside of the hanger bay itself.

_"ETA to impact is eleven seconds." _The automated voice came through the internal speakers of the pod itself, and looking from Ashley to Jacob Shepard gave a curt nod of his head...a second later they were inside the hanger itself and they all knew there was no turning back now, not even if they'd wanted to.

_"...two. One...Hard Contact has-" _The final words of the automated system were drowned out by the sound of the pods slamming into the deck of the massive flagship, and even as the pod's systems shut off simultaneously gunfire of different varieties began pounding the armored outer skin of the pods.

"Everyone out, now." Shepard order through his helmet comm. "Take cover and return fire at will."

Fitting words to action, Shepard brought his booted foot up and smashed it through the viewport, opening fire at the closest target as he jumped out, distracting those enemies long enough to allow Ashley and Jacob to exit behind him as well.

Less than a full yard away from Shepard, Grunt was doing the same exact thing, pumping round after round of shotgun fire into the mechs while Tali and Garrus scrambled out of the pod behind him, their weapons now turning to fire back as well.

As scenes twin to this played out all across the hanger bay, Shepard led Tali, Garrus, Grunt, Ashley, and Jacob into taking cover behind a small mountain of open but unused mech parts, and as they saw the Commander do this the remainder of his squad began to find similar cover as well.

"Joker," Shepard said a minute later as he ejected his empty magazine and made to replace it. "Have the _Normandy _join up with the Alliance ships _behind _the Kinetic Barriers and hold there until further notice."

_"Copy that, Commander." _Joker said, and for once Shepard realized the comedic pilot had lost some of his usual outwards, humorous air...

Shepard stopped thinking about his old friend as he popped his head up above the crates once more, snapping off short, controlled bursts of fire as he took aim at each enemy one-by-one.

Luckily, Shepard told himself as another mech exploded into a thousand various pieces, these weren't the heavier, stronger mechs like the ones that had nearly crashed the earlier court-martial, meaning that, with the combined, varying fire of fifteen different warriors the number of downed mechs piling up on the deck of the enemy flagship was already beginning to rise. However, it was already apparent that every mech destroyed was being replaced by two more, as though they were being thrown into combat fresh off of the assembly lines.

Yards away a husk exploded with electrical energy as it fell under the furious fire being poured out by the perfect Krogan warrior, and as Shepard down another husk following directly behind it, Ashley was combining her fire with Jacob's to stop a mech as it raised a modified grenade launcher.

"There." He muttered, his eyes glancing over a seemingly-insignificant doorway as he ejected another empty clip from his rifle and made to replace it. The steady line of mechs appeared to be pouring out of several different doors just like it, and already Shepard had the perfect plan.

"Jacob," He began ducking back down. "Do you see the hanger entrances where the mechs are coming from?"

"Yeah." The dark-skinned man answered as he dropped yet another husk.

"See the heavy black lines above them?"

"Yeah." He answered again, ducking back down to join Shepard, who was now smiling.

"Think you can hit those fuel lines with the Avalanche?"

Jacob now offered his own smile. "Is Joker a pathological smart ass?" The Armory Officer answered, holstering his rifle as he exchanged it for the M-622 Avalanche.

"Grunt, Ashley, and Garrus, you're with me." Shepard ordered, preparing to put his own plan into action as he spoke into his helmet comm unit, now addressing his entire squad. "On my signal we're going to charge across the hanger, firing at the mechs and husks as we go. Everyone else, keep down and hold your fire. Jacob, once they've turned their attention to us fire at will."

He listened as everyone acknowledged these new orders, and then, steeling himself for the job to come, he gave a nod of his head.

"Okay, let's move, now, go!"

The galaxy's first human Spectre vaulted over the crates that had been protecting him, a blur of motion as he opened fire, now rapidly spraying his fire blindly over the mass of mechs and husks.

Those closest to the four immediately turned and began returning fire of their own, but Shepard, Ashley, Grunt, and Garrus were now moving so fast that a majority of the enemy fire simply sprayed around them or into the deck at their feet, with their armor effortlessly absorbing the rest of it.

A minute later Shepard, his magazine empty yet again, hurdled himself to the ground behind an unused starfighter that, like the other ships of this alien armada, he had never before seen, and as he replaced his depleted clip he heard the first massive explosion that indicated Jacob had begun his assault on the mech entrances.

As his three comrades joined him in replacing their vanished ammunition, Shepard allowed himself just a moment to collect his head, and once they were all prepared to go once again the four of them simultaneously exposed themselves once more, now controlling their furious barrage of fire as they continued drawing attention off of Jacob and the M-622 Avalanche in his hands.

The furious pitch continued on for another full minute as Jacob systematically sealed the hanger off from any more of the flagship's security forces, and finally, after the sixth explosion, Shepard knew they had finally taken the third major step in securing the Hanger Bay.

Sensing victory was imminent, the rest of the _Normandy's _boarding part rose up as one from behind their cover, weapons blazing to join their four comrades across the hanger's great expanse in finish off the "security" forces that had been sent to stop them. Finally, after over five minutes of intense combat, Shepard lowered his rifle, not worrying to bring it back up to defend himself.

As Shepard, Grunt, Garrus, and Ashley moved to rejoin the rest of their team the sound of servos and gears grinding together and moving stopped them dead in their tracks, and turning around to see what was going on Shepard was astonished to see that the fighter behind which he'd taken cover moments before was now gone, a square hole in the deck now occupying the spot it had been sitting in.

"What-" Ashley began as the sound of the elevator suddenly stopped, but she was cut off as it started back up once more, and immediately Shepard felt his gut burst into fire with a warning of what was to come.

"Cover, now!" He ordered, backing up as he placed a fresh ammo clip into his rifle and brought it up to bear on the hole where that fighter had been a moment before. He backed up slowly, back-to-back with Grunt, Garrus, and Ashley, who, he noticed, were all refusing to follow his order.

The heads of the heavier mechs they'd encountered earlier suddenly appeared at the edge of the hole, and as the elevator rose their torsos and assault rifle-equipped hands followed suit, the deadly built-in weapons now leveled right at Shepard's head.

Before he could open fire, before he could dodge for cover, before he could even think, however, a deafening explosion sounded from overhead as the ship rocked and buckled heavily, and looking up Shepard noticed a large hole in the hanger doors, and as energy shields screamed to life to seal the hull breach, a bipedal, humanoid figure suddenly appeared, falling freely towards the deck.

* * *

><p>Duran Dregan yawned as he activated the <em>Blackmoon's <em>FTL drives, beginning the micro-jump that would take him across the Sol System to that system's third planet, which, Duran knew, was the capital planet of the Systems Alliance, the homeworld of the "mighty" Human race.

He snorted at the mere thought. Humans had been a space-faring species for barely a quarter of a century and all ready they acted as though they were the galaxy's dominant species. Sure, they'd fought against the Turians, giving a so-called impressive showing against that race, and yes, they'd put the pathetic Batarians in their place as the Humans spread like a wildfire across the known galaxy, and so what they now had a member on the Citadel Council?

The truth, as Duran and his fellow Pyronians knew so well, was that, no matter how high and mighty the Humans might now see themselves as being, they had yet to truly earn their place in a galaxy full of powerful and exotic races. Personally, he continued to reflect as he engaged the FTL drives, he had no grudge against the Humans, save for those involved in the kidnapping of his child sister; after all, he'd never really known anyone from that race. However, as a race, he loathed them. He despised how fast and easy their rise to prominence had been, how they had been _given _everything while he and his fellow Pyronians, who had survived countless eons, a race older than any other, had been denied all that they had _earned._

He shook his head to clear away these thoughts as the _Blackmoon _prepared to reach the end of its journey to Earth. Now, he knew, was not the time to be having this age-old discussion, not even with himself. The time, he reminded himself, would come when the Humans would stumble across the hidden Pyronian Empire, and as per usual with the Alliance they would try to lay claim to something that wasn't theirs, and this time they would be put into their place. The Turians may have frightened them, and the Batarians may have tested them, but Duran knew that the Pyronians, learned so well in the arts of combat, would utterly destroy them, and no "Citadel Council" would be able to stop them.

The _Blackmoon _reverted to normal speed, and the scene stretching out before Duran's cockpit made the young Pyronian heir's blood freeze over.

The space surrounding Earth was now a major combat zone. Debris and ships littered the space as the heavy fighting raged all around the Human world. Several massive space stations, he could tell, had been destroyed, and many more were now returning fire in synchronized patterns while a majority of the Alliance vessels hid, weapons down, behind a massive dome of protective yellow energy that completely encircled the planet Earth.

"Bloody cowards." Duran muttered, closely studying a familiar triangle ship moving up from the rear of the attack formations, and, knowing no one would hear him, he barked an ancient Pyronian curse as he activated his ship's communications relay.

"Damn you, Kakist." He began without preamble a minute later. "Our people have remained hidden from the rest of the galaxy for thousands of years, and you ruin that by launching a raid against the capital of the Systems Alliance? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't come aboard and kill you myself!"

_"Why, Prince Duran," _The cold, shrill voice on the other end mocked. _"I'm so pleased you could join us. Listen, little brother, I think we both know the answer to that: you just don't have it in you to kill a member of your own family."_

"Yeah?" Duran challenged. "Try me."

Another laugh. _"For all the talk of how ruthless and destructive a warrior you are, you are simply too weak to do what must be done."_

"We'll see about that. Now answer my question; you've been branded a traitor...you should never have gotten your filthy hands on any of our warships, much less the Black Fleet." Duran ordered, silently pouring over the data now coming into his cockpit.

_"Of course, kid, it'd be my pleasure, it really would, but now that'd be telling, wouldn't it?"_

"Fine, have it your way, _dou'cheta_ ." Duran said with a shrug of his shoulder, referring to his estranged brother by a title considered among his people to be an insult worse than even a coward's death. "You can explain it to me once you're in your proper place at my knees, and you will: I vow it upon penalty of disavowment."

While his brother's laugh filtered through the comm unit once more Duran knew he had hit a nerve; his brother was both fearful and angry. After all, if Duran, having made such a vow, failed to kill his brother, then he'd no longer be able to consider himself a true Pyronian, nor would he be able to consider himself anything less than a coward.

_"You'll never make it to me, Prince. After all, the _Blackmoon _is sporting the same colors my fleet is: between those cowardly defensive stations and my escort ships your precious piece of junk will be vaporized where she floats." _He answered, now giving a Pyronian ship-of-war the ultimate insult by referring to it in a feminine form.

"I'm going to enjoy gutting you like a Lava Moltfish." He finished, switching off the private channel before his brother could respond as he switched over to a broad-band channel that would carry his next words to all Pyronian ships engaged in the fight.

He took a deep breath before speaking. "This is Crown Prince Duran _Zar _Zi'Detreo Dregan hailing all Imperial Warships of the Pyronians. You are hereby commanded to withdraw from Earth and return to base, where you will be dealt with accordingly. Any crews failing to obey my commands _will _be dealt with momentarily with a fate far worse than a coward's natural death."

As he turned to look back out the cockpit, however, he noticed not a single ship was obeying his commands, which, while disturbing, suited him just fine. He grabbed a data chit from under the pilots seat and then sat back down to take the controls, jerking the helm to his right and forcing his small craft to list heavily to starboard as it banked away from an oncoming volley of Pyronian Plasma fire.

Dodging the fire coming his way, from both the treasonous fleet and the Earth defenders, Duran positioned his ship into a position to where he could fully see the Black Fleet's flagship, the _Crusher_-class mega-dreadnaught _Vengeance, _which was now being flanked to the ship's port by a smaller but still-deadly battleship.

The Pyronian heir drained the power from all of his ship's systems, save for the engines and Kinetic Barriers, the latter of which was reinforced with all of the spare energy, making it certain that no harm would befall the _Blackmoon _before he completed his mission.

As the ship sailed forward Duran began setting the FTL drives once more, but this time he didn't let it program in the route.

Having received only the best Pyronian education possible, Duran knew that the FTL drives, before making any kind of jump, had to first program in an approved travel route. While a blind FTL jump sounded good in theory, especially in an emergency, it was almost always deadly. Without a proper course of travel the chances were exceedingly high that the ship in question could collide with another ship, a planet, an asteroid, a space station, or even a supernova or black hole. Today, however, that collision was exactly what Duran was counting on.

Setting a timer so that the FTL drives would engage in five minutes, he then activated a code that would expose the ship's volatile fuel to the right mixture of chemicals, a long-used method of self-destruct for Pyronian vessels, and then Duran stood back up and took off at a full sprint down the corridor, out of the cockpit, and then down the corridor immediately to his right. At the end of this corridor was a small lift, which would take him down to the cargo hold, where he always carried a small, single-seat fighter, designed more as an escape shuttle with full control, Kinetic Barriers, life support, limited FTL capabilities, armor, and weapons.

Just before reaching this lift, however, Duran veered off to the left, sprinting the length of that corridor, and then, picking his speed up, he burst through the doors at the end, stopping dead as he entered his private quarters.

Immediately he began pulling on his personalized armor made from his home city of Pyrexia, the capital city of the hidden Pyronian Empire.

The armor was as black as any black hole and covered him from the middle of his thick neck all the way down to his four-toed feet, leaving only his head visible to anyone looking at him.

He then pulled a matching black helmet with a broad, red visor over his head, and as it sealed up with the rest of his suit the Heads-Up Display (HUD) blinked into existence, feeding him such information as his suit's shield integrity, a small radar screen, his heart rate and vitals, in addition to combat objectives and weapons status when he was engaged in active combat. This armor was much better and stronger than that he'd been wearing while on the Citadel, and it fitted him far better too.

Opening a footlocker at the head of his bed he pulled a pair of sleek, heavy pistols and holstered them, one on each hip. He then slung his Battle Rifle, with its custom-made holster, over his back, and finally he picked up his double-headed battle ax and did the same to it. This ax, unlike the sword he'd used on the Citadel, was a Pyronian traditional Battle Staff, a weapon he'd personally built himself, with no help from anyone. After loading up on all the ammunition he could possibly carry, adding some highly-volatile explosives to his special weapons arsenal, he glanced to his HUD to see how much time he had left to escape the _Blackmoon._

**3:21 **was the answer he got, and without another thought he turned and took off at a full run, now going the way he'd come until he merged with the original corridor, and as he stepped into the lift and it began moving downwards he saw he only had two minutes and ninety-six seconds remaining. He wasn't worried about escaping, not by any means: he had little doubt, after all, that he would make it off of the _Blackmoon _before he engaged his FTL. However, he also knew that if he was within range following the collision then he and his escape fighter might have some deadly problems.

The lift doors opened and without hesitation Duran was moving forward once more, jumping onto the short, blunt wing of his small craft, and finally he plopped down into the cockpit, running through the preflight checklist as the cockpit shut down on top of him and the cargo bay doors began to open.

The blue-white engines flared to life, and the modified escape shuttle rocketed forward from the doomed ship, free of the death trap Duran had activated.

Ahead loomed his brother's traitorous flagship, but even as he raced for the closed ventral hangers of the mighty _Vengeance _he saw the escort battleship begin to speed up as she heaved hard to port, and he just smiled: sure, they now knew what was about to happen, but the ship's top speeds were still too slow to get them out of the way in time.

Putting his lost ship and the doomed battleship from his mind, Duran angled his craft towards the surface of the _Vengeance, _his mind already figuring out just how he'd board the fallen warship.

He reached over to his left and flipped a small switch to the "Down" position, activating the fighter's magnetic landing struts as he moved into position, and even as anti-fighter flak continued buffeting him he dropped just far enough for those magnetic feet to clamp onto the outer hull of the _Vengeance_, which had yet to activate her Kinetic Barriers. Duran's smile widened: such a novice mistake was just one of the many reasons the Pyronian Emperor had seen his oldest son was unfit to rule even at such a young age.

Blowing his cockpit Duran jumped out of the fighter, activating his suit's own magnetic feet to keep him from floating away in the zero-gravity environment, another scenario his advanced Pyronian training had prepared him well for.

Bending down at the seems where the two hanger doors met, the young warrior pulled out some his strongest explosives, and with the expert training of a master of explosive devices, he set the charges.

Once done he backed away carefully and quickly, and behind him he could hear the _Blackmoon's _FTL drives engaging, and then he triggered the detonator, laughing uncontrollably from under his mask.

The two explosions, his charges and the two ships colliding at speeds greater than that of mere light, were so in-sync it was impossible...words, Duran decided, could not explain such Pyronian perfection.

As the _Vengeance _began to buckle and rock under the shockwaves of the blast, the outer waves of which were now threatening to blow Duran into space, he rushed forward, jumping into the gaping hole in the ship's hole, just narrowly avoiding the laser shields activating to seal off the breach.

* * *

><p>The new arrival was clad completely in black, glossy armor, a broad, crimson visor set into the heavy helmet, and as the figure landed between Shepard and the mechs he allowed his knees to buckle and bend, and even as he erected himself he pulled a heavy assault rifle from a special-made holster slung over his back and under a melee weapon, and without a single word this mysterious warrior opened fire, the rifle spewing out a sea of orange energy balls, which immediately collapsed the kinetic barriers protecting the mechs and began eating through their heavy armor.<p>

Seconds later his rifle _clicked _as it expended its ammunition, but instead of reloading it he holstered the weapon instead, and then he unsheathed his melee weapon, which turned out to be a staff with a large, heavy ax head on each end.

As an orange kinetic barrier swept over to encompass the weapon he charged forward, expertly swinging the weapon and cutting down the battalion of heavy mechs that had looked poised to kill Shepard once again...only a minute after this warrior's arrival the battle to secure the hangers was over.

"Kitch Shepard." The figure said as he, she, or it sheathed the ax and unholstered the rifle, now replacing the useless clip. "Hero of Humanity, Bane of the Batarians, Savior of the Citadel, Defeater of Death, and Collapse of the Collectors...all around bloody Paragon. I suppose the only real question is whether I should kill you or let you help me."

Shepard didn't know what to say; he'd never before been quite greeted in such a way, which, given the past two years or so, was saying something.

"I owe you one." Shepard said, extending his hand forward towards the newcomer.

"Don't tell me that, Paragon, because I just might come to collect." He said, ignoring the gesture. "Mind telling me what you're doing aboard the _Vengeance_?"

"You know this ship?" He asked, suspicion now rising up inside of him.

"Of course I do: a year ago it was my flagship."

"Then why-"

"It's none of your business, really." He cut off with a wave of his hand. "As far and you and your "friends" are concerned, I'm here to settle an old score and tie up a lose end. You, however, better come up with a better story than mine, and now." He said, and in a blur of movement so fast a pistol was suddenly in his right hand, aimed directly at Shepard's skull. Instantaneously the sound of fourteen other weapons being cocked and locked echoed throughout the hanger as everyone took aim.

As he answered, Shepard, with the training of a veteran, elite marine and Spectre, remained calm.

"We're hear to find the enemy commander and take him out." Shepard answered.

"Well, ain't the galaxy a small place." The other man mocked. "That's who I'm after too. I have a very simple set of rules, taught to me by my father, and those rules have kept me alive over the years. Rule Number Three: You're either an asset or a liability. So, tell me, Oh Hero, are you going to be an asset, or a liability?"

"Neither." Shepard answered, and in that moment he moved his arms up, bringing the front of his rifle crashing into the other man's armored wrist with such force that the pistol flew free of his grasp, and, somehow sensing the massive Krogan coming up behind him, Shepard stepped aside, allowing Grunt to blow past him and tackle the armored figure to the deck, and as Grunt stood back up, putting the muzzle of his shotgun to the helmet's visor, Shepard walked forward.

"We can be your allies," Shepard said, lowering his own weapon to take aim at the man beneath him. "Or we can be your enemies. Personally, I have enough enemies to be getting along with at the moment. You saved our asses, and you know enough about this ship to be a real asset to us and our mission. Earth is under siege, and I will do what I must to protect her, even if it means eliminating someone who just saved my life. So, allies, or enemies?"

"Ain't no such thing as too many enemies." The figure answered. "However, I see the stories of your escapades haven't been as exaggerated as I believed. I'll help you, on one condition."

"What?"

"The commander of this fleet is mine." He answered, his voice going deep and dark. "I have a little score to settle with him."

Shepard caught Grunt's eye and nodded, and while he didn't look to happy Grunt pulled his feet from the black-armored chest.

"Battlemaster, it's stupid to let an enemy live at your back."

"You've got a Krogan calling you 'Battlemaster'?" The figure asked incredulously as Shepard offered him a hand up. "Not bad, for a _human_." He said the last part with a hint of contempt as he locked gazes with the perfect Krogan.

"Hmph." Grunt responded a moment later. "This one's not worth my skills. There'd be no challenge in destroying such a puny little boy."

"Yeah," The figure returned. "There's no real honor, no true _challenge_, in slaying such a weak, domesticated _pet _Krogan."

Grunt. who had been walking away from their team's newest addition, spun around, shotgun still in hand and raised at the crimson visor. The other man, however, had a second pistol in his hands, aimed right between the Krogan's eyes.

"That's enough." Shepard ordered, stepping between the two combatants. "We won't stand here and squabble like children while Earth is under siege. Grunt, he is an ally for now, so do _not _shoot him, pull an arm free of its socket, dislocate anything, or otherwise harm him." Shepard ordered, now turning his head to face the other man. "And you...if you provoke him again I _won't _stop him."

The helmet gave a nod as he holstered his pistol, and soon after Grunt followed suit, allowing Shepard to relax somewhat as the rest of the team, sensing the standoff was over, began approaching.

"What's your name?" Shepard asked, bending over, retrieving the fallen pistol, and offering it back to its owner.

"Duran." He offered simply as he joined the huddled team.

"Okay, _Duran_, tell us how we'd go about disabling this ship." Shepard ordered. With a nod of his head Duran brought his glowing omni-tool up as he began transferring data to the others.

"The _Vengeance_," He explained in a bored voice. "Has five critically important areas; the Bridge, CIC, Engine Room, Life Support Generator, and the dorsal Hanger Bays. If you truly want to disable this vessel and send the fleet into chaos, disable all five areas and then activate the self-destruct commands in the CIC."

"Destroy your former flagship?" Shepard asked. Duran, however, shook his head.

"This ship has the codes to activate the self-destruct subroutines for the rest of this traitorous fleet and her cowardly crews. Once we deal with the biggest traitor of all we can activate the _Vengeance_'s self-destruct and get the hell off before it goes down."

"Okay." Shepard answered, already at work dividing his squad up into five different teams. He wanted so badly to take Tali and Garrus with him to the ship's Bridge. They had, after all, always been with at his side, a constant team since the Battle of the Citadel, but his agreement with Duran notwithstanding, he knew Tali would be best used in the Engine Room.

"We'll split into five different Teams. "I'll take Alpha Team, consisting of Ashley and Duran, to storm the Bridge. Garrus, you've got Bravo Team, which will include Tali and Kasumi: get to the Engine Room and stop this ship cold. Zaeed, take Jack and Thane as Charlie Team to destroy the Life Support Generators while Miranda takes Delta Team, made up of Legion and Mordin, to disable the CIC. Echo Team, led by Jacob, will be made up of Samara and Grunt and will be tasked with holding the Hangers at all costs."

"I'm transferring appropriate schematics to each team leader now." Duran added, typing furiously into his omni-tool.

"Commander," Miranda said, speaking up. "What's your plan of escape: if the Kinetic Barriers around Earth are still up when we finish Joker won't be able to get the _Normandy _to us."

"I can handle that." Duran responded. "I'm an ace pilot with any of these ships, including our combat shuttles."

Shepard nodded to show he agreed with his new comrade. "Once each team finishes we'll rendezvous back here. Any other questions before we get moving?"

No one said anything, and for just a moment Shepard's gaze lingered on Tali. She'd said nothing since their escape from the _Cairo_, and not for the first time he wished he could see her eyes through her Quarian visor.

"Okay," He said, forcing the subject from his mind. "Move out."

* * *

><p><strong>And there you have the eighth chapter of <em>Mass Effect III: Union.<em> So, what'd everyone think?**

**I don't know for sure where I got the idea to form a massive dome of linking Kinetic Barriers around Earth, though I suspect it came as a cross between the planetary delfector shields in the _Star Wars _Universe and the laser walls of _Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace._ I would figure the Alliance would have some kind of defensive protocols in place in the event of an attack on Earth, so hopefully that keeps this story true to the _Mass Effect _Universe as well. ****I also loosly modeled the attack on Earth off of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor back on December 7, 1941. **

**The Pyronians, in case I haven't previously explained this, are a race of humanoid aliens from the original work of fiction, _Apocalyptic Dawn: Armageddon, _as written by myself and Randall Gibson. They are, therefore, copyrighted to us, and the character Duran Dregan belongs to my co-author and best friend, Randall Gibson. For the purposes of this fic they will play a major part in the war against the Reapers later on in this story. And yes, for those of you who have put together the pieces, and for those who haven't, the Pyronians are inspired by the Mandalorians of _Star Wars, _though there are also several key differences, as you will learn later on.**

**Also, in case no one has seen it, I have kept Shepard and Tali apart on purpose. I have a plot I'm working on for the storyline in just a few chapters, and Shepard and Tali being kept apart is key to said plot. I'll say no more here but I will give you one hint: Skipper.**

**The massive flagship, _Vengeance_, is designed as a cross between the _Venator-_class Star Destroyers of _Star Wars: The Clone Wars _and the Super Star Destroyers, as introduced in _Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, _as evidenced by the ship's design and the main hanger bay on the ship's dorsal hull. Duran's armor, likewise, is modeled almost completely on the **MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI of the _Halo _universe, which, for those of you who may not know, is the armor Master Chief uses in _Halo 2_. ****

****Finally, in response to the review left by ****doctor anthony_, _**I do promise that I don't have any intentions on portraying The Illusive Man (TIM) as a cliché villian. He may be evil, but I've always admired him simply for having the guts to stand up for the Human race, even if his methods are too far in left field for me.**

****And I believe that's it on the explinations for this chapter. Hopefully the next chapter will be even longer, and if all works out as planned then the Battle of Earth will be concluded come the next chapter. So, until next time.****


	9. Survival of the Fittest

**I am so, so sorry it's taken so long to post this next chapter. Please, I beg for mercy. (throws himself down on the floor at readers' knees.) To make up for it I offer you this, the longest chapter thus far for _Mass Effect III: Union_, and the second longest chapter ever written, by me, for a fanfiction. The longest beat this one out, minus the Author's notes, by only a hundred or so words.**

**Between two job interviews, a "sister" who tried destroying my family, and my side job of working on old video game systems I've just had no time to type this past week. Now, however, the storm is over and here is the next chapter.**

**Also, please remember that aside from the fact I do not own _Mass Effect _there is still a poll on my profile page that will run through Halloween, this coming Monday. Thanks to all those who have voted and thanks to those who are going to vote.**

* * *

><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES BY<strong> Guardian Kitch**:**

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_

_**Harry Potter and the Touch of Destiny**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 009: Survival of the Fittest<strong>_

{**0881; 8:81 a.m.**}

[**Location: **Black Fleet flagship, _Vengeance_}

(**Earth - Sol System - Local Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

This is Garrus Vakarian:

Raised on the Turian homeworld of Palaven, he is a veteran, a survivor. He was once a member of the Turian military but later enrolled with Citadel Security, sworn to protect and defend the citizenry and tourists clogging the political center of the galaxy, a duty and responsibility he took with the utmost seriousness.

He once thought everything of being an officer of the law. He still remembers that heroic feel his father once had, the same way most male offspring feel about their fathers, a feeling only strengthened by his father's prominence in the C-Sec police force. He had been all too happy with following in his father's footsteps, and the day he officially joined up with C-Sec he vowed to make a true difference in those he was sworn to protect.

This, however, quickly faded. All too soon he learned the truth about the job he'd once idolized his father for doing. He'd discovered the bureaucracies and red tape that limited what an officer could do. He experienced the frustrating policies, regulations, and cycle that peace officers restricted themselves to day-in and day-out. No matter what happened, it was always the same: wait, investigate, arrest, watch the suspect get off on a technicality or by cutting a deal, go home, and repeat...within a year he'd realized that being a C-Sec officer made him nothing more or less than a government pawn. While he did his job, got rewards, promotions, and went on with his life innocent people were suffering at the hands of freed criminals he'd arrested time and time again.

He has also suffered a great loss over the course of the past two years. Two years ago, when a Spectre went rogue, Garrus lost (willingly) his C-Sec commission to chase down Saren Arterius and make sure justice was served. One single month later the _SSV Normandy SR-1 _was ambushed and destroyed above Alchera. The galaxy lost a hero, Garrus a brother. He tried to follow Shepard in his footsteps and become a Spectre, but between the interference run by his father and the hesitancy the Council showed at making a Spectre of a loyal member of Shepard the Troublemaker's squad, it never happened. After six months of nothing, he struck out for Omega, deciding he would truly follow his fallen comrade's example and make a true difference. Assembling an elite, varied squad of experts and professionals from every field, he began waging war on the criminal elements of Omega, forcing them to join forces against him, though it was an act of treason that destroyed his squad. Even then, however, he continued fighting back, making criminals everywhere fear Omega's Archangel.

And here is the sad, dark truth about Garrus Vakarian. Sometime after the destruction of the _SSV Normandy_, he stopped being the idealistic guardian of peace and justice and became something else, something darker. He became an avenger in the night, seeking to not just protect the innocent but make the criminals, big and small, pay for their actions. Above Alchera the galaxy lost its greatest hero and its most advanced warship. Garrus lost a friend, a man who was his brother-in-arms and his mentor. However, looking back, he sees now he lost something more: he lost himself.

Many would say that this is, by far, the greatest casualty claimed thus far by the mythological, legendary Reapers. To destroy ships is war, and to take lives is cruel. To take another beings very identity, however, is beyond cruel: it is the darkest of evils.

Garrus, however, does not think on this, for he knows that if he does then his war against crime is over: he would never fight again.

Here and now, with the Reapers growing stronger, he is the Dark Knight. He knows that, from a legal standpoint he is in the wrong, and he accepts that. He knows one day he will have to face justice for the criminal acts he's committed in his pursuit to make others pay for their brand of crime, and he accepts that. By degrading himself to the rank of enlightened criminal he is ensuring that hundreds, perhaps thousands, and maybe even millions, of innocent beings live long, crime-free lives. He has lost himself, yes, and while deep down he longs for the day he finds himself he does not focus on this search, for a small part of him believes that this _is _who he is, and while he fears this possible truth he has also accepted it.

He is an avowed guardian of peace and justice in the galaxy, as proven by his actions on Omega. He is a vigilante bent on vengeance, as proven by his actions on Omega. He is a soldier, as proven by his actions aboard the super weapon called _Vengeance._ And, while he will never admit so, he is one of the galaxy's greatest snipers. He easily takes shots other snipers would hesitate in taking.

As a grenade explodes yards in front of him, he sees a massive red-orange-skinned being come up behind a distracted Tali and grab her in a massive bear hug, pressing her hard against his armor as he begins constricting her life out of her. Showing his combat prowess, the male being protects his unarmored head from retaliation by keeping Tali's head in front of his own, and as she struggles back and forth it is clear that even the most skilled of snipers will fail in shooting him without injuring his captive hostage.

Garrus Vakarian knows that, and he accepts that. He smiles grimly as he presses his visored-eye to the scope of his sniper rifle. Yes, the shot is impossible to take without harming the _Normandy's _Chief Engineer, and he accepts this. Never loosing his smile, the Dark Knight snaps off a single shot.

The _Vengeance's _Chief Engineer's head exploded under the impact of the single shot to his face, sending skin tissue, skull fragments, and brain matter splattering over the back of Tali's hooded helmet as she tumbled to the ground.

Behind her a pair of smaller, faster crewman charged forward, weapons taking aim at the fallen, unarmed Quarian, but Garrus was already moving to cover his comrade as she scrambled for her discarded shotgun. Two more shots echoed out, dropping each target as their heads followed the example set by their slain boss.

One of the slender, run-of-the-mill mechs came forward, firing all the while, but even as the bullets sprayed the deck around Tali, even as Garrus moved to cover her, the Quarian was proving once again that she could take care of herself: in a surge of motion she lurched forward, grabbed the butt of the shotgun, and flipped onto her back, raising the weapon and firing off a single, powerful shot that blew the mech's upper half into the air while the lower half crumpled to the ground.

Garrus rushed forward to cover her as she pulled herself back onto her feet, and together the two proceeded past the corridor intersection, down the same corridor towards a heavy set of blast doors, the only obstacle that now stood between them and the ship's engines.

"Don't suppose you know where Kasumi disappeared to." Tali said as the pair continued walking, their weapons up and at the ready in perfect, two-handed grips.

Garrus let escape a chuckle. "Kasumi being the ghost she is, she's likely hiding right behind us, laughing at us."

"_Keelah. _I wish I knew how she disappears like that."

"Magic?" Garrus asked as they approached the blast doors. As Tali moved to open the doors a noise escaped her mask, a noise that sounded like a giggle that had transitioned halfway through into a snort.

Garrus said nothing more as he turned his back towards Tali, covering her as she forced the doors open. As his comrade worked, he allowed his mind to drift a little while his eyes and brain remained alert to anything that may try to attack them. His mind first found its way to this mission and the two most recent, if only temporary, additions to the crew of the _Normandy SR-2_.

He had little respect for the man named Duran. The man was a soldier, true, and he knew how to perfectly wield his weapons in combat, allowing him to lend assistance to the dozen members of the _Normandy's _ground team, in particular their leader. Duran, however, acted as though without his interference Shepard and his crew would have been mercilessly slaughtered. Garrus had little doubt they'd all have survived the heavier mechs: they had, of course, been in much more dangerous situations countless times in the past. The only real question one should even consider on this point was how much additional ammunition and time they would have wasted to emerge victorious, able to move on.

This, he realized, was what truly bothered him. Duran was arrogant in a way Garrus had rarely ever seen before. He believed himself, Garrus could clearly see, to be superior to everyone he come across, as though he were actually an ancient deity who had taken on a sentient, corporeal form. And, Garrus knew, this was the kind of thinking that often caused one to get himself, and those around him, hurt or even killed. Garrus had, after all, seen it happen many times in the past, especially during his war with the three top gangs on Omega. The day would come when Duran, like so many others across the galaxy, would allow his arrogance to fill him with that absolute certainty that he knew better than his commanding officer. This, in turn, would cause Duran to casually ignore an order that he would then replace with his own decision, and in Garrus's experience such an action was almost always fatal, both for the one at cause as well as his allies. He just hoped that Shepard, with all of his knowledge, wisdom, and foresight, knew this as well and was taking the necessary steps to protect them all.

With the corridor remaining empty of additional threats Garrus chanced a quick, brief glance back at his Quarian companion, who was hard at work, silently slicing her way through the blast door controls. What he saw, however, only confirmed a suspicion that had been forming in the back of his mind for the past several hours.

While she remained focused on the task at hand he could not help but notice that she was anxious about something that really seemed to be gnawing away at her on the inside. Her entire body was as tense as someone bracing for impact with the ground at the end of a freefall. As her hands and arms moved he noticed they were stiff, lacking their usual fluid, experienced movements. Even during the heat of combat, mere moments ago, she had seemed anxious, perhaps even upset, as Garrus had suspected after witnessing her return fire with extra "gusto" on a pair of very unlucky _Vengeance_ crewmembers who had been stupid enough to draw small, light pistols on the Quarian engineer.

Two years ago Garrus knew he would likely never have noticed this. After all, back then his main focus had been to see how Spectres worked and to help Shepard track down and stop the rogue Spectre Saren, who Garrus still viewed as a disgrace to the Turian race. He had gotten to know, on a professional basis, all of his comrades, but it hadn't been until Omega that he'd followed Shepard's example and began to know his allies both professionally and personally. It was, therefore, thanks to this wisdom, obtained after watching and serving for so long with the Hero of Humanity, that Garrus also felt he knew what was causing Tali's discomfort.

Despite the fact that she had not been a member of the _Normandy's _crew and thus was not present during the Battle of Horizon, Garrus still knew that what Ashley had said to Shepard following their first engagement with the Collectors, along with her refusal to trust her former lover, had marked Tali. He had known Tali to get angry and upset before, but never had he seen her take that anger to this level, a place where she hated even Ashley's sister, who's unorthodox yet brilliant defense was sure to force all charges against Shepard to be dropped, allowing him to retain his freedom.

This, now joined by the fact that Shepard had chosen Ashley to join him and Duran in taking the bridge rather than taking his usual team with him, was likely causing Tali to begin questioning the tentative, rocky relationship that existed between her and the CO of the _Normandy SR-2. _True, Shepard had been correct when he said that Tali would best serve their mission by joining the team taking the Engine Room, but everyone could see the young Human had other, more private reasons for choosing Ashley Williams over Tali'Zorah.

Of course _Garrus _knew Shepard had likely taken Ashley along to keep an eye on her: after all, he had seen the painful look in Shepard's eyes back on Horizon, had heard the pain caused by Ashley's betrayal in his voice as he'd told Joker to get them away from Horizon. Shepard, like Garrus before him, had been betrayed by someone close to him, and while Ashley's betrayal of Shepard was on a completely different level than Sidonis's betrayal of Garrus, the Turian still knew how that betrayal felt, though he couldn't begin to imagine how Shepard felt once again working with his betrayer. Yes, Garrus knew that Shepard had chosen Ashley not just for her combat skills but to keep an eye on someone he did not trust: the only question he had on the subject was whether Tali would be able to see that too or instead draw the wrong conclusion about something that had been injured above Alchera and executed on Horizon.

Garrus returned his full attention to the job at hand. He knew that, while the situation between Shepard and Tali could explode later on, they would only die if they allowed anything to distract them while aboard this mammoth vessel. However, part of him admitted he would rather die here, in battle, than be caught up in the storm that would be caused if Ashley's return to the fold, so to speak, did come between Shepard and his Quarian lover.

* * *

><p>As Garrus continued guarding their backs in silence, he had no idea that, behind him, Tali was onboard the exact same train of thought he had been riding the past several minutes. He, as it turned out, was not the only one who had noticed Shepard's private (if not unknown) reasons for taking Ashley and Duran with him as opposed to his usual choice of her and Garrus.<p>

Duran, the arrogant _bosh'tet _he was, was a choice easy for Tali to understand. He had once served aboard this ship and thus knew it better than any of the _Normandy's _crew could, and his combat skills made him a natural for such an important mission. Ashley Williams, however, was a different story all together.

While she had not been present during the defense of the Human colony on Horizon, Tali _had _heard about what had transpired between Shepard and his former lover from the two who _had _accompanied him, Garrus and the Salarian scientist, Dr. Solus, and she had heard firsthand from Joker how Shepard had reacted following his return to the _Normandy._

Tali caught herself and forced her anger back into check: it would not do for her to make a mistake that would damage their chances of breaching the blast door that was all that now separated them from the Engine Room.

Why Shepard would chose a treasonous _bosh'tet _like Ashley over Tali was beyond the young Quarian woman. Sure, his assessment that her knowledge and particular skill-set would be best used in the Engine Room was fully accurate, but part of her refused to accept this logic, refused to believe that his reasoning would be so simple. After all, their main mission was to destroy or disable the _Vengeance's _engines, not repair them: a couple of well-placed grenades would do the job nicely...something even Grunt could do.

She sighed as she continued working on her omni-tool, which she had linked to the door's control panels. No, she knew that Shepard's reasoning behind the decision to take Ashley along with him was far more complex than that: she had seen it in his eyes. It had been a mere flicker, there one second and gone the next. However, the fact still remained: it _had _been there. A cross between pain, grief, and remembrance, it had still been there. He had once cared greatly for the woman who was now Humanity's second Spectre, having followed directly in his very footsteps.

By no one's accounts had she ever been considered, even for a mere moment, stupid. Even among her native people, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya had always been held high as a genius in every sense of the word: there had been more than whispers that she would, one day, likely sooner rather than later, surpass even her great father. That higher-than-standard Quarian intelligence was now allowing her to see what Ashley Williams was doing with stunning clarity.

While she may never have said it, Ashley obviously regretted her words and actions on Horizon: the woman who'd greeted Shepard on the _Cairo _was not the same woman Garrus, Joker, and Mordin (in his professionalism) had described.

No. She had become a Spectre, like Shepard before her, making her one of only two Humans (the other being Shepard himself) to achieve this highest honor possible. She had persuaded her sister to defend Shepard from the Systems Alliance court-martial, resulting in Kitch Shepard's perfect, eccentric defense. She had volunteered to help them protect Earth, and she was planning to redeem herself by following Shepard into the most dangerous situation any of them could be put into.

Tali could now feel that anger being replaced by sadness, a grief that was quickly rising up through the Quarian's body, a hurt that threatened to spill tears, hot, burning liquid drops that only she would ever know about.

From the moment they had met, that fateful day over two years ago when Shepard had saved her life aboard the Citadel, Tali had cared greatly for the man. At first she had been like a little girl watching her greatest hero, but over time that had evolved. Tali had begun to realize the feelings she possessed for Shepard.

"_What could I possibly be suggesting? I mean, a young woman gets rescued by a dashing commander who lets her join his crew and then goes off to save the galaxy? How could she possibly develop any kind of interest in him?"_

She could still remember telling him those exact words not all that long ago...had it been even a week since she'd spoken those words? Nah, surely not.

At "night", when total silence had claimed the _SSV Normandy _for its own, she had fantasized about what it might be like to be able, to be permitted, allowed, to act on those feelings. Of course, she had never acted on nor alerted him (or anyone else) to these feelings, and the one time she'd given serious thought to doing so she'd fought the urge back. After all, between the hunt for Saren, the constant threat haunting them, and Shepard's growing relationship with both Liara and Ashley, doing this would have done nothing more or less than caused trouble for them all, and they might well have perished before being allowed to save the Citadel.

And then Alchera had happened, and she, along with the rest of the galaxy, had lost the greatest being ever known. She had forced herself to move on with her life, dedicating all she had and all she was to the betterment of the Migrant Fleet and her people. After two full years of constant grief and pain she had finally begun to get over Shepard's death.

Until Freedom's Progress.

How could she (or anyone else) ever have known that her mission to find a lost, endangered Quarian on his pilgrimage, like she had been during her journey with Shepard and his crew, would see her crossing paths once more with a man so great that he had cheated Death itself?

She could still remember the way she'd felt, looking upon him for the first time following his resurrection. She'd first thought it was either a ghost or a trick of her mind, triggered by the similarities between that assignment and her past adventures with the Commander. But he proved all too easily that he was more than a mere ghost, that he was very much alive and the same man he'd been following his "death". The war against the urge to charge forward and hug him had been much more difficult than fighting the Reapers with a mere twig could ever be.

Sure, she had felt stricken, betrayed, by the realization that he was working with Cerberus, an enemy of the Migrant Fleet. She would never, not as long as she lived, have guessed that such a great man, an honorable, heroic being would ally himself with such terrorists.

However, in the end she had still trusted him. Where Ashley Williams had turned her back on him, Tali had decided to trust that he knew what he was doing, and that he would continue being the one in control, no matter what the Illusive Man or anyone else said.

And then, weeks later, there had been Haestrom. She had led a team of elite Quarian marines into Geth-controlled space, far behind enemy lines, and from the beginning her mission had fallen apart: all but two members of her team had died. And, when it looked like she and Kal'Reegar would join their fallen allies, Shepard had arrived, riding the _Normandy _like a medieval Human knight on his gallant, white stallion to her rescue. This, in turn, only strengthened Tali's feelings for him.

And then she'd heard about Horizon, and she'd been there for her friend, and that had been the beginning of the budding romance between Lieutenant-Commander Kitch Shepard, Hero of Humanity, and Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Quarian genius.

True, officially Shepard and she were nothing more or less than lovers. He had not courted her, had not asked her to be anything more, and thus if Shepard _did _end up choosing Ashley over her she would have no real say in the matter...

_NO!_ Tali found herself somewhat surprised that she had not actually shouted this word out aloud. She refused to believe that what existed between her and Shepard was nothing more or less than a physical, sexual attraction.

Sure, Shepard had showed her something far beyond her dizziest daydreams that night, as they'd been preparing to commit suicide by jumping head-first into the heart of the Collector base, just beyond the Omega Four Relay. Yes, she had enjoyed it...immensely. Surely, sex like that, for any species, could not be common. Some might say that they had both been caught up in the moment, assaulted by the joined forces of lust-turned-desire and certain, approaching doom. Tali, however, did not believe that was all there was too it. She had never done such a thing with anybody else before, no matter how much she'd fantasized about it. As she'd told Shepard, linking suits was the most intimate act of trust a Quarian could commit. While she hadn't come right out and said it, she had given herself to Shepard because she felt more than adolescent-staged lust and desire for him, and she had certainly not done this because she'd been staring her own death in the face: she'd long since gotten too used to Death's companionship.

'_Shepard may be the first and only person you've ever linked suits with,' _A voice that sounded both familiar yet alien said coldly. _'But you are certainly not Shepard's first. Who knows how many women have given themselves to him in the past? How many other women have spread their legs for his prize? And don't forget; before you there was Ashley-' _

This mysterious voice cut off as pure, white-hot raged replaced the sadness and anger. She had known long ago about the short-lived relationship between Shepard and Ashley: it was what had her so worried now. Now, however, she was facing the possibility that Shepard, whom she had known for so long, might not be quiet the honorable Human she'd believed him to be, and this-

No. Tali refused the thought, destroying it before it could go on. Whatever anyone ever said about Shepard, his honor, his word, could never be doubted. He would not hurt her...no, he would not do something so cruel. Whatever his reasoning for taking Ashley along with him, she refused to believe it was because he wanted to rekindle what they had lost.

'_Just because you believe something as being true does not mean it _is _true.' _That voice said again. _'For all you know Shepard could, even as you work here, be talking to Ashley, accepting her endless apologies and realizing that his feelings for her still exist, and that they are far stronger than what he may or may not feel for you. After all, she was before you, and while you returned to the Migrant Fleet _she _stayed with him even as the _Normandy _was ambushed and crumbled into a hundred pieces.'_

This time Tali was powerless to stop the tear that formed up in her eyes. That voice, whether it was real or merely a figment of her imagination, had put to voice the guilt that had invaded her the moment she'd heard of the destruction of the _SSV Normandy _and the death of its Commanding Officer.

From then to Freedom's Progress and even now that guilt had eaten away at her. She'd never gotten to say goodbye to her hero, and she'd abandoned him to his fate. True, she'd returned to the Migrant Fleet to complete her pilgrimage and serve them, but she'd always secretly believed that, if she had stayed, she might have been able to do something to save Shepard.

When this guilt coupled with the fear that perhaps that voice was right, that Shepard was now being covered not by her but by a woman who had betrayed him, a woman who clearly wanted more than just a professional alliance, the tear at the bottom of Tali's eye was joined by many, many more, and together they fell from their resting place.

Her eyes now blurred from the stinging tears, Tali could not properly see what she was doing, and before she could resolve this problem she made one small mistake in her calculations, and, like small mistakes often do, this one transformed into a colossal mistake.

Sparks flew from the consol next to the blast doors, and seconds later a second, far heavier, set of doors hissed shut, making it all but impossible for them to enter the Engine Room.

Shouting an ancient Quarian curse she'd learned years ago, the results of a little girl, up later than she should be, happening across her father one night as he too stayed up too late, letting his anger get the better of him as another experiment failed, Tali spun around, shaking her head towards the turning figure of Garrus: she didn't trust herself to speak yet, not without giving away her emotional state.

To his credit, the Turian seemed to understand what her head's shake meant, but before he could speak a hidden hatch directly above the intersection of the corridors yards ahead of them opened, and over a dozen heavy mechs and flesh-and-bone crewmembers, all armed to the teeth, fell out, taking aim at the pair from over their fallen comrades' bodies. Immediately both Tali and Garrus raised their weapons.

"_Keelah Se'lai." _Tali gasped, forcing all thoughts of her Human lover from her mind: she would handle it when-and if-the time came. Right now, however, she had to worry about her and Garrus's survival and hope that Kasumi soon revealed herself to help them...if she was still alive.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, several decks up, Kitch Shepard led Duran and Ashley to a lift that, according to Duran, would take them up to the Command Deck.<p>

They had traversed almost the entire ship, journeying through the maze between the Hanger Bays and the Bridge, and even for a veteran of Shepard's caliber he could feel the first, fleeting symptoms of fatigue setting in.

Between the walking, running, and fighting, he felt the desire for his bed back in his quarters aboard the _Normandy, _but he effortlessly put those thoughts out of his mind, willing his body to ignore the fatigue. He was a soldier, a warrior, and if he and/or his squad failed then Earth wouldn't stand a chance. The mysterious warrior named Duran had given him a quick rundown of the ship's firepower capabilities, and that information alone had nearly overwhelmed the Human Spectre: if Duran was telling the truth then this ship had the firepower equivalent to half of the total Alliance fleet. Yes, Shepard knew what would happen if this ship was not destroyed; Earth would be glassed, trillions of Humans would die, and the Human race would be pushed to the edge of extinction. Suddenly his fatigue was gone, replaced by a new surge of determined energy.

Allowing his new-found energy to fill him up and force all hints of fatigue from his mind, Shepard raised his rifle as the trio approached the lift door, and when it failed to open Duran came striding passed him, his large, armored hands moving with a hint of gentleness over the consol to the door's side.

"Damn it all." The man said a second later. "It's been locked down."

"Can you override it?" Shepard asked, turning to cover his new ally.

"Hell yeah, but it's going to take me a couple of minutes here: even for someone who knows this ship inside and out-" "Like you?" Ashley asked, moving to stand on Shepard's right.

"Like me." Duran confirmed. "Even for a genius like me it's going to take some time to override the controls. Cover my six, Paragon."

Shepard, however, had no chance to respond.

_"Delta Leader to Alpha Team, Delta Leader to Alpha Team, do you copy?" _Miranda's voice squawked in Shepard's ear, keeping her words and meanings disguised as Shepard had suggested, a precaution he'd decided on to protect them from possible eavesdroppers aboard the _Vengeance_.

"Alpha One here; copy that Delta Leader."

_"We've arrived at destination and are prepared to deliver the package. What's the address?"_

"Duran," Shepard said, not turning to face the other man. "What's the self-destruct codes for your the fleet."

"972201 AZ Gamma Sierra 66 Fire ZAS, Sequence Four."

Shepard quickly repeated the code through his mic, and two minutes later Miranda's voice returned, informing him that the CIC was destroyed and the self-destruct code was active, set for five minutes.

"Copy that Delta One." Shepard responded. "Rendezvous at Waypoint Echo with Echo Team."

_"Copy that, Alpha Leader, Delta Team out."_

"CIC has been taken care of." Shepard explained to his two companions. "Self-Destruct code's been set for five standard minutes from now."

"Bloody cowards are getting off light for their treason."

"You call death light?" Shepard asked.

"Of course: under normal circumstances I would've simply activated the sleeping gas controls, knocked them all out, tortured them into insanity, and _then _they would have died."

"Is there any way the self-destruct of the fleet can be stopped?" Ashley asked. This question, however, merely caused Duran to laugh.

"That code is reserved for the highest echelons of our military chain-of-command: only a handful of people know it even exists, and only one other person has the power to stop it...he's not even here."

The door hissed open.

"Now, if you don't mind." Duran answered, stepping forward into the elevator. "Earth won't stand for much longer against this fleet, and even if the rest of the ships are destroyed Earth will die while _Vengeance _survives."

Shepard and Ashley walked side by side into the lift, and as the door began to shut Shepard turned to face Ashley.

"Listen Skipper," She began, taking his gaze as a sign for her to begin speaking. "About Horizon: I know I sent you that message, but I still need to say it in person...I-"

"Forget it, Ash." Shepard cut her off with a shake of his head. "It's in the past now."

"I know that, sir, but I still need to say it."

"Say what?" Duran asked with a yawn, as though he were bored. Both Humans ignored him completely.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you back there. I should have trusted you to know what you're doing, like Garrus did. I mean, if a Turian trusts you working for Cerberus then why I can't I?"

"You were doing your duty." Shepard countered, not fully understanding why he felt a growing sense of awkwardness closing in around them. "You were there to defend the colony from a possible-"

"I succeeded so spectacularly too." She answered sarcastically. "I was paralyzed by that seeker swarm, just like everyone else. If you hadn't showed up, I'd be dead right now. You saved my life, and I repaid you by hurting you-"

Shepard opened his mouth to speak, but instead he closed it, finding he had no response to those words. In all fairness, she was right, and his mind had echoed these very words that day back on Horizon.

"You've more than made up for it since then." Shepard said at last. "You persuaded your sister to defend me when she didn't have to, and you've got my back here and now, when I need it. You did your duty to the Alliance on Horizon, Ash, and you're doing it here too."

She nodded her head, blinking rapidly. "I did do my duty to the Alliance, yes, but in doing so I failed in my most important duties; I failed to obey my duty to mankind, and I failed in my duties to you."

Shepard begged his mind to come up with a proper defense to this argument being given to him by his former comrade-turned-lover, but his mind seemed to be in a less-than-helpful mood at the moment, leaving Shepard to figure out a response on his own.

He had brought assigned Ashley to his team of three not because he'd felt her skills would best serve them there, but because he'd wanted to keep an eye on her. He had read and re-read her message following Horizon, and it was one of a handful he'd saved to his private terminal aboard the _Normandy_, and he'd believed every word she had said, both then and now. However, he also knew Ashley enough to know she was a soldier through and through, and no matter what else might happen she would do her duty to the Systems Alliance, even if it killed her, as it nearly had on Eden Prime and again, later on, at Horizon's Human colony.

He had not, he admitted to himself, trusted Ashley anywhere else. At least, he had reasoned with himself, if she was with him and was forced to choose between her duty to the Alliance and doing the right thing, even if it clashed with said duty, he could make sure the right thing, no matter what it might be, would be done. He trusted her, and yet he didn't, and while she was with him he could keep a very close eye on her.

"Look Ash," He said at last, giving careful thought to the words he was preparing to speak. "You hurt and betrayed me, yes, but I never stopped to look at it from your viewpoint. I mean, you were with me a lot of the time back during our hunt for Saren, and you helped me bust up our fair share of Cerberus cells; you are as well aware of what they're capable of as I am, if not more so. To see me back from the dead and working with that same organization we once wanted nothing more than to destroy had to have been a stab to the heart-"

"It was, Skipper." She admitted. "But, like Tali and Garrus, I should have trusted you to do the right thing. I did not. My feelings for you haven't changed, Shepard-"

"I understand, Ash, and I do still have feelings for you too." He admitted, hoping like crazy that Tali never heard of this conversation. "However, what happened between us-Horizon and everything else-is in the past. 'I'm not who I was then, and neither are you.' That's what you told me in your message, and you were right. You have redeemed your family's name, you've gone from infantry to being an officer and now a Spectre. I died two years ago, and when I was resurrected I learned it was done using advanced cybernetic technology: technically I'm part cyborg now, no longer fully human."

Shepard felt his skin grow cold as he finally said aloud the very feeling that had been haunting him for the past several weeks. However, he forced himself past it: he could deal with these fears once the Reapers had been vanquished.

"I don't know what the future holds either, Ashley." He said at last. "Right now my main goal is to make sure we have a future at all. Perhaps our futures will be forever entwined, or maybe not. For now, though, _we _are in the past too. What's happened between us has changed us both, maybe for the better, or maybe for the worse: I don't know right now. I'm not saying _we _won't return from the dead later on, but for now, for me, _we _consists of me and Tali. I don't know what the future holds," He continued, again quoting from memory the message she had sent him following Horizon. "But I can't lose you a second time: that's why I've forgiven you, Ashley, the same reason you forgave me and asked my apology. I am truly sorry if this hurts you, Ash, but I believe you and I can still be the friends and comrades we once were."

He extended his hand, and while Ashley looked stricken at his words she merely nodded her head, her long, dark hair waving around as she did so.

"Of course, Skipper; at least we've not lost each other." Her voice, Shepard noticed, while hurt was as genuine as anything he had ever heard before.

She took his hand. They shook firmly, warmly, and now the awkward, hurt relationship that had existed between them was gone, replaced by the camaraderie and friendship that had existed before they'd become lovers.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Duran sneered, and all too late Shepard remembered that he and Ashley were not alone. "Go get a room you two-"

"Okay," Shepard allowed. "If you're so set on changing the subject then why don't you tell us more about you?"

"Come again?" "What are you doing here at Earth to begin with? Are you human? Where do you come from?"

"What are you, a bloody psycho-analyst?"

"I'm the man who's trust his life and the lives of his crew and his entire race to you, despite the fact I don't know anything about you, other than the fact that you're the most arrogant being I've ever met."

"You're trusting me because you have no other choice, Paragon. None of you know this ship like I do-"

"Somehow, I think we'd manage: we had no inside help when we destroyed the Collector base." Shepard pointed out.

"So you didn't." He conceded, his head bowing as though he were deep in thought. "Okay, I'll tell you, but I swear, as the gods are my witnesses, if this knowledge goes beyond the crew of your ship, you will all die."

"I'll remember that."

"My business here is my own, so don't try to coax me into telling you, because believe me, it's not happening anytime this eon. I, thank the gods, am not a Human: I'm a Pyronian."

"A Pyro what?" Ashley asked.

"I'm a Pyronian. Don't worry: there's little chance you've ever heard of us before: as far as the rest of the galaxy is concerned we've been extinct for approximately fifty millennia now."

"Extinct?" Shepard asked, raising an eyebrow.

"In the eyes of the galactic community, yes. We were once one of the most dominant races in the galaxy, but eventually, as all great empires do, we lost our power and standing, so what was left of us returned to our home system and we've remained there ever since?"

"And no one's just _happened _upon your race's system in the past?" Ashley asked. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"

"Because you're stupid." He answered. "We have had visitors find us by accident, yes, but we've always made sure they kept our secret."

"How?" Shepard asked.

"We 'interview' them to find what information they have, and once we're done we kill them."

"You _what_?" Shepard asked, suddenly alarmed at what their newest teammate was saying.

"Come now, Paragon, surely you can't be _that _naive." Duran scoffed. "There's one law that all races, no matter how different, abide by. As you Humans call it, it's Survival of the Fittest. The strong lead, the weak follow. Those who are smart enough to adapt and strong enough to fight survive: the others die. The hunter hunts, the prey dies. Nature at its finest."

"But-" Ashley began, only to be cut off mid-sentence.

"But nothing." He barked. "My people have become the strongest race in the galaxy by utilizing our greatest asset: secrecy. We know all too well how big the galaxy is, but unlike the rest of the galactic races we've learned from our past. We now stick to our own system, we don't attack anyone unless attacked first, but we're also powerful enough to destroy anyone who stumbles upon us.

"Over the course of the past fifty thousand years you could count on your hands the number of Pyronians who have ever ventured out beyond our system. Until myself and this fleet, it's been over two thousand years since a Pyronian has viewed space from beyond our native system."

"So then, who is the commander of this ship?" Shepard asked.

"A treasonous piece of worm-ridden scum not worth the time it takes to kill him. That'll be enough for you."

"And you're the person they send after him...with no reinforcements."

"You got it, Paragon. I am worth a legion of firepower all on my own. I have been trained in stealth, retrieval, destruction, hit-and-run warfare, survival, and any other possible skill that enables me to get the job done. Unlike you other beings, we have no choice but to train this way. Most beings consider safety to be in numbers: a Pyronian is as safe alone as he is with a thousand fellow warriors. Imagine, you pathetic Humans, the live-span of an Asari, the intelligence of the Salarians, the physical strength of the Krogan, the tenacity of the Humans, the military strength and prowess of a Turian, the mysteriousness of the Quarians, the ruthlessness of the Geth, and brutality of the Batarians all mixed into one species...that perfect species is known as Pyronian."

Shepard said nothing as he realized the impact of this statement. If, as Duran claimed, such a race did truly exist then they had the potential to be just as dangerous as the Reapers were...though Shepard had a sneaking suspicion that this arrogant Pyronian, as he had called himself, was greatly exaggerating.

"The commander of the _Vengeance _and this fleet is Pyronian?" Shepard asked.

"Yep."

"Then why would he bring such a massive fleet out of millennia-old hiding, and why would he attack the homeworld of a species that now sits on the Citadel Council?"

"That means something?" Duran scoffed. "I believe he wants us to once more rule the galaxy, and while we could do it, easily, I might add, we're smarter than that. He risks exposing our people: I will stop him."

The elevator at long last came to a stop, and as the door slid open Shepard led Ashley and Duran out into the corridor below.

"Remember, Paragon: he's mine; anyone who gets in my way _will _die."

"What if I told you he may not be at fault for this?" Shepard asked.

"You know something I don't, Paragon, then you better say so now." He growled in response.

"This commander has been indoctrinated."

"You mean mind-control?"

"In a sense, yes."

"I'm not stupid: no species in this galaxy has the power to override a Pyronian's Will-"

"It's not from this galaxy." Shepard answered. Duran, now walking beside Shepard, stopped dead in his tracks.

"What? Did? You. Just. Say?" He asked, saying each word as though it were its own sentence.

"A race of extra-galactic beings known as the Reapers are trying to invade the galaxy to start over anew with a cycle of extinction that's been going on for hundreds of thousands of years. They have the power to indoctrinate-" "It doesn't matter to me." He answered, and through his mechanically-filtered voice Shepard could hear he was lying. "If he was weak enough to allow himself to be controlled by a myth then he deserves to die nonetheless. That's the Bridge up ahead-"

"Where's his security?" Ashley asked.

"We're safe for the moment." Duran answered. "He wants us to reach the Bridge, for whatever reason."

"A trap." She concluded. "What's our next move?"

"Spring the trap." Shepard and Duran answered simultaneously. The trio moved forward to the set of blast doors that protected the Bridge, but this time they didn't have to work on the consol: the doors slid right open.

The Bridge was massive. A wide walkway led to the front of the room, where a thin, cloaked figure stood with his hands clasped behind him, staring out of the massive viewports, watching the Battle of Earth unfold below. On either side of the walkway were depressions, stations for the Bridge's crew to do their work.

"I was beginning to question whether or not my modest security forces were too powerful for you, little brother." A cold, shrill voice laughed.

"He's your _brother_?" Ashley asked, outrage etched in her voice.

"You're one to talk, Second Lieutenant Ashley Williams." That same voice now defended his brother. "After all, is your grandfather not the first, and only, Human to surrender to an alien force?"

"How do you-?"

"Give me some credit, woman: do you truly think me stupid enough to attack a planet like this without doing my research beforehand? I attacked Earth for a very specific reason, among them the fact that the infamous Commander Shepard was being court-martialed here today.

"I knew, as anyone knows, that if Earth were attacked while Shepard was here then he would do anything to protect it, even giving up his own life."

"So you want to kill me?" Shepard asked. "And here I thought perhaps the high and mighty Pyronians might get a little creative."

"_Bravo Leader to Alpha Team. Do you copy, Alpha-"_

"You have a sense of humor." The man stated as Shepard ignored Garrus's voice.. "How nice. Yes, I do admit I will be ending your pathetic life again, but this time there will be no miraculous resurrection. However, before you meet your destiny my superiors would like to have a final conversation with you."

"_Bravo Leader-" _Shepard again ignored Garrus's voice.

He turned and gave a lazy wave of his hand. Behind the trio the blast doors sealed themselves once more, and judging by the sound of it they had locked themselves as well. In the middle of the broad walkway a large circle opened up, and from the depths rose a massive conference table.

A flash of blue light lit up the table, and instantly a holographic image appeared, giving them a perfect view of the Reaper that had taken up station outside of the battle.

"_Commander Shepard, at last we meet." _That deep, booming voice said. _"I admit I was beginning to fear you had been killed before I could meet the infamous thing that destroyed _Sovereign _and has _Harbinger _in such an uproar."_

"What are you, another vanguard?" Shepard asked.

"_I am. While my fellows continue their search for a way into this galaxy to begin their attack I am collecting data on you all."_

Shepard nodded, pleased that his theory had indeed been correct.

"_Compared against such deities as us, you are nothing: all of you are but nothing."_

"The Pyronians aren't the only ones needing to get their own material." Shepard said.

"_At least," _The Reaper continued. _"This is what most of my fellows believe. They fail, however, to understand that you have slain a Reaper and made yourself the first being to ever postpone our glorious trek into this galaxy, and thus by doing so you have become _something _when compared to us. They fail to understand that we now face a galaxy capable of eliminating us once and for all."_

"Is that original enough for you?" Ashley asked. Shepard, too, was stunned. He had never expected to hear a Reaper admit they were possibly about to be destroyed. _Sovereign _and _Harbinger _had both declared that nothing could stop the massive fleet of Reapers.

"Why have you attacked Earth?" Shepard asked, his mind reeling. "Surely you know additional fleets are en route to support us."

"_I assumed as much. I am sure, Human, that you have already figured this out."_

"You want to learn our strategies and tactics for the coming invasion. If the attack succeeds then Earth is gone and Humans are no longer a threat. If it fails you will escape, along with valuable knowledge and intelligence about us."

"It would appear," Kakist said suddenly. "That one of your silly little teams managed to infiltrate my CIC...the fabled Black Fleet is now down to only the _Vengeance._"

Shepard glanced beyond his enemies out to the planet below, and to his relief the hundreds of Pyronian capital ships had been engulfed by balls of fire as bright as Sol itself.

"_I must confess that based on what I have seen from your Alliance so far does nothing to impress me. They rely on only one, and his flawed skills, to protect them. I had believed that perhaps you could finally be the ones to stop us; I was wrong, and perhaps _Nazara _was correct...perhaps you _are _nothing compared to us. Servant, destroy them all, and then move ahead as planned. Destroy your ship and flee this system to await my further instructions: allow these puny Humans to enjoy their 'victory'."_

"As you wish."

The Reaper vanished, leaving them alone with Duran's brother once more.

"Kakist, you fool!" Duran roared, stepping forward towards his brother. "Do you not see what you're doing? That thing knows what we're capable of, and now you're going to weaken us for them."

"I am no fool, little brother." The man answered. "Only a fool remains on the losing side. I know what these Reapers are capable of, and I will not be erased into nothingness like the rest of the galaxy. I will be rewarded beyond my wildest dreams."

"You're not the first fool to believe such lies." Shepard answered. "Saren-"

"Saren was stupid: I am not." The figure turned, pulling off his cloak as he moved. He wore armor exactly like his brothers, though the armor was bright red as opposed to black. His skin was reddish-orange and his eyes blazed with a bright yellow fury.

"You want to know what Saren's 'reward' for his loyalty to _Sovereign _was?" Ashley asked. "You want to know what he got in return for his work: destruction...he's dead-"

"As are you." Kakist answered as he sealed a matching red helmet with a black visor over his head. He gave his right hand another lazy wave and once more the blast doors behind them opened, but as Shepard turned to look he noticed there were now well over a hundred heavy mechs coming down the corridor, weapons raised as they prepared to come within firing range.

"Not today." Shepard answered, and with the movement of the seasoned veteran he was Shepard had unholstered his rifle, loaded with cryo rounds, and took aim. Before Kakist could move to defend himself, before Duran had a chance to stop him, Shepard depressed the trigger and held it there, spraying a tidal wave of bullets towards the enemy commander. After several seconds the fire finally stopped as his clip emptied out, the Bridge now filled with Kakist's laughter.

"An infant could have hit me from such range, and yet not a single shot touches me."

"I wasn't aiming at you." Shepard said, now smiling.

"What-"

Shepard suddenly burst into movement, grabbing Ashley in his left hand and Duran in his right as he moved, and thanks to the surprise of his motion he was able to pull both of them off of the walkway and into the starboard depression reserved for the ship's crew.

"Hit the deck, now!" He shouted, and as they complied with his words the sound of the Bridge's viewports shattering filled the air, the oxygen howling around them as anything not bolted down to the deck was sucked out into space.

The trio grabbed a hold of elegant chairs that _were _bolted down, and in silence they held on, waiting for emergency shields or shutters to close tight over the breach...provided Pyronians incorporated such a feature into their capital ships. If they did, then Shepard was confident the battle was over. If not...oh well, he sighed: the battle would still be over.

* * *

><p>Tali heard the door behind her hiss as it opened and without even thinking she backed up into the Engine Room, followed closely by Garrus, and until the door had shut and sealed itself neither of them lowered their weapons.<p>

"I leave you alone for ten minutes and you bring half the neighborhood over to party." Kasumi's light-natured voice said, and this joke, so normal for the thief, helped expel much of the fear Tali had been feeling, destroying much of the anxiety Tali had felt at Shepard choosing Ashley to accompany him.

"Yes, your timing is impeccable." Garrus said as Tali moved to begin disabling the engines.

"Aww, did you miss me Garrus?"

"Like a hole in the head."

"Ouch." Tali said, her heart and mood both now much lighter than they had been moments before. "That was cold."

"Yeah." Kasumi agreed. "No wonder he's not got a girlfriend."

"Why do I need a girlfriend?" Garrus asked. "I've got you."

"I'd rather date Grunt." She countered, and this time it was Garrus faking the hurt voice.

"Who's the cold one now?"

Tali listened as the pair joked and laughed: it helped her concentrate a lot better now as she set the Engines to shut down, making sure that in the process no one could come along and restart them before the ship was destroyed.

She knew there was nothing between Shepard and Ashley. Sure, Kitch had ulterior motives for taking Ashley with him, and she knew that, once he got the chance, Shepard would explain those reasons to her, and then she really would feel like a fool for ever doubting her, a feeling doubled by the fact that it had caused her to cry, making her mess up and nearly costing her and Garrus both their lives.

It took only two minutes to complete the process, and once done Tali stood, activated the signal, and immediately the engines fell silent as smoke and flames began to hiss from them.

"Engines offline." Tali muttered, turning to regard Kasumi and Garrus. "Now what?" She asked. "We can't go back the way we came."

"Here." Kasumi answered, pulling up a piece of deck plating that had been neatly cut away. "I entered from below; we have to go down to the deck below, get to the nearest elevator, and go back up seven decks to the Hanger Bays."

Garrus went first, dropping down to the deck below, and once he gave the all clear Tali followed suit, and a moment later they were joined by Kasumi, and together the three of them made their way down the narrow corridor, looking for any sign of the lift that would take them up to the Hanger Bay.

"Bravo Leader to Alpha Team." Garrus said, now working to hail Shepard. "Do you copy, Alpha Team?"

They continued walking with no answer from Shepard. Tali decided to ignore the hint of worry in her voice.

"Bravo Leader to Alpha Team. Do you copy, Alpha Team?" Garrus asked, his voice not changing, showing no hint of frustration or worry.

Again there was nothing.

"This is Bravo Leader hailing Alpha Team. Respond, Alpha Team."

Nothing.

"Something's not right." Tali said, and Garrus nodded his head in agreement.

"Let's rendezvous with the others. If he's not there when we arrive then we'll decide how to proceed."

"Garrus, he could be-" Tali began, only to be cut off by her Turian friend.

"We've both known Shepard for years Tali: if a Collector ambush didn't destroy him I don't think an unknown race of beings with oversized mechs will either. He's likely preoccupied-"

Tali ignored the possible hidden meaning one might be able to take from that sentence and instead forced herself to again trust her Human lover.

"To the Hanger Bays." Tali said, voicing her reluctant agreement with Garrus.

The trio took off, searching for nearly five minutes before they found the set of elevators that looked like they would be the ones to take them to Hanger Bays. As they soon discovered, however, the lifts were out of service.

"Now what?" Tali asked, wondering how hard it would be to repair them.

"Stairs." Kasumi answered, opening a bare door to revel stairs beyond it.

"Wow." Garrus laughed.

"Better than nothing." Tali answered, following Kasumi up the flights of stairs.

In silence the three climbed the stairs, pacing themselves so that they would not run out of energy before making their rendezvous.

After another five minutes of climbing they passed another open doorway, and without thinking Tali glanced through it, taking in the long, narrow corridor with a Quarian standing at the end of it, looking directly at her.

Tali stopped climbing as she realized what she'd just seen. Turning around she descended back down to the door, and looking through her visor she realized she wasn't seeing things...there was another Quarian aboard this alien vessel.

"Hey, you!" She shouted, and in response the mysterious Quarian took off to the left, running as fast as she could. Tali, without thinking, gave pursuit.

"Tali!" Garrus and Kasumi shouted after her, but Tali was no longer paying her friends any attention, her mind now too focused on what another Quarian would be doing onboard a fleet of unknown warships attack the planet Earth.

She turned left and continued chasing the retreating Quarian, determined not to lose her target. She could hear Garrus and Kasumi running after her, still yelling at her to turn around. Tali, of course, refused.

She spurred ahead, and even with such a distance separating the hunter and her prey Tali could still make out a familiar figure, as though she'd once met this Quarian, perhaps had even known him...

_Her. _Tali corrected herself. This Quarian was definitely a female, something Tali could make out by her shape alone...male Quarians weren't as slim as the Quarian Tali was now chasing.

The fleeing stranger entered another emergency stairwell and began climbing rapidly, and moments later Tali was following suit, her heart now beating furiously in her chest as it raced to keep up with the need for blood throughout her body.

Two decks higher the female Quarians entered a narrow corridor that was much shorter than the others Tali had thus far encountered, but Tali kept up, jumping through a set of open doors moments later to emerge into a deserted mess galley.

The other woman was on the far side of the galley, poised to run through another set of doors. She had, however, stopped, and was now turned to face Tali, and Tali found herself screeching to a halt.

This woman had a white enviro-suit with various shades of light blue, and her visor was a dark, beautiful emerald color. Not many Quarians wore green visors. There was no real reason that Tali knew of other than the fact it wasn't done. In fact, she suddenly realized, the last Quarian she had ever known to wear a green visor had been-

"No." She gasped as the sounds of Garrus and Kasumi's footsteps echoed ever closer.

The ship shook as it took a particularly violent hit, likely the result of combined fire from the various space stations surrounding Earth. The female Quarian took off once more, and without thinking Tali took off, vaulting over tables that lined her path as she approached the door.

It couldn't be. No, it was impossible. Now, after so many years, there was just no way this woman could or would be here. The chances of this woman being here were like the chances of Grunt becoming a scientist. This, however, only spurred the young Quarian woman on.

As she passed the doorway there was a bright flash of light and an explosion that threatened to shatter her helmet's reinforced visor. As she continued running she could hear the sound of deck and metals from above crashing down to the deck of this level, blocking off her pursuing friends. Tali never slowed down.

* * *

><p>At long last, just as Shepard had begun to fear he'd not be able to hold on much longer, the sound of heavy, reinforced doors slamming shut over the ship's breach echoed dully throughout the Bridge, and a moment later the howling call of vacuum was over.<p>

"You _kriffin' _Paragon!" Duran shouted, climbing to my feet. "I told you he was mine, and yet you let him escape: that suit protects us from vacuum long enough to-"

"I know." Shepard countered. "Don't worry; as long as he's working for the Reapers we'll cross his path again. Right now, however, my main concern is destroying this ship and saving Earth."

Duran began stalking towards Shepard.

"I don't care-"

"I do." Shepard answered, dropping his rifle and pulling his shotgun free and taking aim at Duran's head as Ashley followed suit. "Revenge on a wayward brother is secondary to protecting Earth and rallying the Alliance to prepare for war against the Reapers."

"We could you use your help." Ashley added. "You're great under fire, and we can help you find your brother and destroy him later on."

"You can promise me that? I'm a wanted fugitive as far as your Citadel Council-"

"We're Spectres." Shepard countered. "Your helping us save Earth should be enough to get you a pardon from the Council."

"If you can get me a pardon from the Council that lets me move through their space freely then I'll stick with you until these Reapers are destroyed."

"Deal." Shepard answered, holstering his shotgun and bending down to retrieve his rifle. In response Duran jumped back up to the walkway and took off for a terminal at the front of the Bridge, the two Humans following right behind him.

"I'm going to lower the Kinetic Barriers, set the self-destruct, and then we're clear."

As Duran worked Shepard reloaded his rifle and then holstered it once more, now patiently waiting for Duran to finish his work.

"Okay." He said a few minutes later. "The Kinetic Barriers are down, all security measures have been shut down, and in fifteen minutes this ship will go nova. I suggest we withdraw, now."

"Let's go." Shepard said, leading his squad back towards the blast doors and the corridor beyond.

"Alpha Leader to Bravo Team, I read you. I apologize for-"

"_Shepard." _Garrus cut in. _"Tali's gone."_

"She's what?" Shepard asked, his heart freezing where it beat.

"_We were climbing a set of emergency stairs because our lifts went out. She saw someone and took off after them."_

"Who?"

"D_on't know. We tried following her but the ship's beginning to take damage now...we've been separated. I'm sorry-"_

"It's not your fault, Garrus." Shepard said, deciding that since their enemy now knew who they were the codes were no longer needed. "You and Kasumi rendezvous with the others: I'll go after Tali. What level?"

"_Four."_

"Copy that."

"Skipper, surely you're not planning on going alone-"

"I am." Shepard answered.

"But-"

"Ash, if something happens to me Humanity will need its only other Spectre to finish what I've begun with the Reapers. Now, you and Duran rendezvous with the others: Tali and I will meet you there."

"Aye, aye Skipper." She answered.

"Hey Paragon, take a right at the intersection ahead. Those lifts will take you directly to Level Four: if she's headed forward from the Engine Room you might be able to intercept her."

"Thanks Duran."

"That's two you owe me now."

Shepard nodded his head in silence and without further ado he was gone, once again racing against time to make sure none of his crew got left behind.

"_Charlie to Alpha." _Zaeed cut in. _"Life Support's disabled: headed to rendezvous now."_

Shepard failed to acknowledge the former Blue Sun leader and founder, his mind now totally focused on finding Tali and getting her off of the _Vengeance _before it exploded into a miniature supernova of its own.

Who in the world, he asked himself, could she be chasing that was important enough to risk her life aboard a doomed warship?

* * *

><p><strong>Oooh, a mystery. I love mysteries.<strong>

**So, does anyone know who this Quarian Tali's chasing might be? I know, of course, but I can't ruin the surprise, at least, not until the next chapter. If anyone has any ideas leave them in a signed review and I will announce those who get it right in the next chapter.**

**I know this chapter may seem spotty and fast-paced, but I promise you: as of right now this may be the single most important chapter in this story. There are many secrets hidden in this chapter, waiting for the readers who can find them to come along.**

**And before you say anything, don't ask me why I described Garrus as the Dark Knight, because really, it was a spur-of-the-moment deal. I was watching _Batman Begins _and _The Dark Knight _a few days ago and I began seeing some similarities between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Garrus Vakarian/Archangel. For example, they were both once great law-abiding citizens who realized that law enforcement was losing the war on crime and they both became vigilantes to do something about it.**

**Another thing that was spur-of-the-moment was Tali's fears about the possibility of a continued relationship between Ashley and Shepard. I mean, yes, there were the events of _Mass Effect 2_, provided you chose Tali as your romance option, but even then there is much about their relationship left to the imagination. Officially, at the end of _Mass Effect 2 _they are only lovers...at least, in my evaluation, which I will admit could be wrong. So yeah, like I said at the beginning of the first chapter all those months ago, while this may be a Shepard(M)xTali fic, it doesn't mean their relationship's road has to be smooth, right?**

**And I believe that's all I've got to say so far. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far: I am honored you would take the time to tell me what you think. **

**Oh, and don't worry, the next update will come much sooner than this last one did.**


	10. Suicidal Hero Disorder

**Hey, what do you know: I'm on time. Yay me!**

**As usual, we all know I have never, not now or at anytime in the past, owned Mass Effect, so remember that.**

**Now, before we get on with this next chapter I would like a moment to announce the results for the poll that was running on my profile page. The question I asked was: **In a Democratic style of government, such as the one currently employed by the United States of America, do you believe political parties are a good idea or bad idea?

_**Good Idea: **_37% **_Bad Idea: _**62%

**It's not the margine it was a few days ago, which tells me people may be regaining faith in democracy as we know it, and while I personally don't know how I feel at the moment I will admit I was one of the 62%. **

**Also, please pay attention to the first set of Author Notes following this chapter: there are details there, as well as on my profile page, about a small contest I've decided to hold.**

**Oh, before I forget, those who guessed correctly as to the identity of the mystery Quarian are:**

chief1029 **and** Albericus

* * *

><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES BY<strong> Guardian Kitch**:**

_**Harry Potter and the Touch of Destiny**_

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 010: Suicidal Hero Disorder<strong>_

{**0903; 9:03 a.m.**}

[**Location: **Black Fleet flagship, _Vengeance_}

(**Earth - Sol System - Local Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

Tali'Zorah vas Normandy was running so fast that her heart felt as though it was on the verge of exploding through her chest, and her lungs were heaving rapidly, desperate to drink in the life-giving oxygen her suit was constantly manufacturing. This did nothing to slow the young Quarian down.

She followed the female Quarian she was pursuing around another of the sharp, blocky curves that seemed to be the trademark of this massive ship, and immediately a single elevator came into view, and as the pair approached the doors hissed open.

As she reached the doors the woman in front of Tali stopped and spun around, a small, spherical device in her gloved hands...too late, as it sailed through the air, Tali recognized the device for the grenade it was. Unlike her racing heart and heaving lungs, the following explosion _did_ stop Tali where she stood, sending her diving to the deck for cover.

As she picked herself up off of the floor, however, she realized something odd: her fellow Quarian's aim had been short, and with such a minimal distance between them that wasn't something Tali would consider to be a common mistake someone would make, especially a Quarian...

The elevator doors closed shut, giving the two women some space away from one another, and forcing the intentional short-coming of the other woman's grenade attack, Tali charged the elevator, pulling a pair of grenades free and arming the small explosives.

Just above the elevator doors ran a pair of what Tali suspected were fuel lines, something most ships took better care in hiding and protecting. Thankfully, however, the makers of this ship had not followed what most beings saw as common sense, and a moment later, armed, the two grenades were sitting on top of the fuel lines while Tali was running back down the corridor, trying to put as much distance between herself and the coming explosion as she could...

_BBBOOOOOOMMM!_

For a second Tali feared that two grenades had been overkill; the deck plates beneath her feet bucked and shook as though the entire ship was about to fall apart around her. Tali, however, ignored the small edge of fear setting in inside of her brain and took off forward once more, hoping she could make up the distance between her and-"

"_Tali, where are you?" _A man's voice called out from inside of her helmet. _"We need to get back to the others before this ships falls apart with us in it-"_

"Go, Shepard, get off this ship." Tali ordered, the detonation site of her grenades coming back into view once more. The doors were completely gone, a massive crater now taking their place in the wall. Smoke and flames billowed from a set of wires just to the right of the shaft, and to the left the deck and ceiling were completely gone.

"_Not without you-"_

"Shepard, if you come after me you'll never make it back to the rendezvous point in time." She said, suddenly realizing that she had possibly sealed her fate by taking off on this chase...

"_Really?" _Shepard asked, his voice laced with sarcasm. _"I mean, I didn't know that when I came chasing after you. I really appreciate the heads up-"_

She felt herself momentarily overcome with happiness as she realized that, prior to her dark thoughts minutes before, Shepard had knowingly put his life on the line to come chasing after her, even as the massive triangle ship was falling apart to its death.

"Shepard, the galaxy needs its hero: you're the best chance we have to stop the Reapers from repeating their cycle of extinction."

"_I'm not the only hero the Milky Way has." _Shepard answered. _"And I am not leaving this ship without you."_

Tali looked down the shaft and noticed that, despite her explosive solution to make up the distance between her and her target, the elevator was still descending rapidly, and preparing herself for what would come next she jumped.

"Don't be stupid Shepard: my life isn't worth risking the fate of everyone else in this galaxy-"

"_No one gets left behind, Tali: that's not about to change now. Now, tell me where you're at-"_

"Free falling in an elevator shaft." Tali answered, unable to help the sarcastic response.

"_You keep hanging out with Joker and Garrus and you just might become a regular comedian." _Shepard responded dryly. _"This person you're chasing: why is he so important?"_

"I-I can't tell you-"

"_Then what are you after?"_

"Answers."

And then Tali landed on top of the elevator. Rather than fight the force of the impact she allowed her knees to bend, and once the shock of the landing had worn off she climbed back to her feet, unholstering her shotgun as she did so, and taking aim at the closest corner she opened fire, pumping shot after shot into a roof that had been dented by her sudden impact.

As the metal finally fell away and Tali got the feeling she might be able to catch this woman who should not be here the elevator screeched to a sudden stop, and as Tali finished emptying her clip of ammunition she could hear the doors below sliding open, and deciding the hole was big enough she jumped through, hoping to land close enough to tackle the other Quarian before she could make her escape. As she landed, however, Tali realized that the chances of stopping the other woman at that precise moment had already gone: the woman was already half way down a straight, narrow corridor, running towards a set of heavy blast doors that remained closed.

Sliding her shotgun back into her holster without reloading the weapon Tali sped up, forcing her feet to move faster than they had ever moved before, the green-visored Quarian once more in her sights.

Her entire body felt like it had been hit and trampled by the Mako Tank the original _Normandy _had used as a ground-drop vehicle. Between the mental (and unnecessary) anguish she'd caused herself back at the Engine Rooms, her fears of Shepard being found guilty by the Alliance of the charges leveled against him, and the ache of her knees following her suicidal jump down the elevator shaft, she felt as though her Quarian body might soon simply fall apart.

Slowly, as the minutes ticked by, she began closing the distance between her and the ghost she was now chasing, and her hopes suddenly soared as the woman stopped to activate the control panel to the right of the blast doors.

A moment later, however, as Tali continued to force herself to go ever faster, those hopes were dashed: the blast doors began to slowly slide open, and not waiting to allow Tali to reach her the other woman vaulted through the growing gap in the door, and a moment later Tali followed suit.

As she landed Tali realized she was now in a hanger a quarter the size of the one the _Normandy's _ground team had landed in, and only one ship, a three hundred and fifty-year old Quarian-made fighter, now occupied the hanger...this ship, one of only a handful left in the known galaxy, shouldn't be here either.

As the woman raced towards the boarding ramp of the small fighter Tali was suddenly pulling a third grenade free and arming the device, not knowing what had suddenly given her the idea.

She waited several dangerous seconds before tossing the explosive device, her tactic similar to the one her target had used before. The grenade sailed freely over the other Quarian's head, and the moment it landed, feet ahead of the front woman, it exploded, forcing this woman to hit the deck in the same fashion Tali had used earlier.

This, it soon became clear, was the opening Tali had needed. As she pulled herself to her feet Tali was on top of her, grabbing her by the collar of her enviro-suit and slamming her back against the port-side hull of the small fighter. With her free left hand she grabbed her pistol and shoved the barrel into the other woman's abdomen.

"You traitorous _bosh'tet_!" Tali roared, the pain of those three words, now used against one she'd always loved so much, filling her body from masked-head to three-toed foot.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, is that anyway to speak to your mother?"

"It's Tali'Zorah _vas Normandy_, and my mother died seven years ago!"

"Vas Normandy?" The woman asked, as though making small talk with an old friend she'd not seen in years. "You completed your pilgrimage! Wonderful, your father must be-"

"Dead!" Tali roared again, and suddenly she found herself overwhelmed, those hot, stinging tears now threatening to return once more.

"No." The other woman's voice cracked with this one word, full of emotion and sadness-

"You _bosh'tet_, you don't have the right to cry." Tali hissed, and blinking she found her vision going blurry as the tears moved closer to reality. "You let him die believing you'd be there with the rest of our ancestors."

"Tali, dear, you don't understand-"

"I understand enough." Tali countered. "I understand you're here, in league with a fleet that's attacking the Human-"

"I'm working with the Pyronians, yes, but I have nothing to do with the raid on Earth, Tali."

"You're lying-"

"I'm not. Look, Tali, there's a threat here that you can't even begin to comprehend." The other woman explained in a rush. "This ship's crew, even her commander, is being controlled by an ancient being more powerful than anything-"

"A Reaper." Tali cut in. "I know more about them than you do, _bosh'tet._ I was with Commander Shepard, two years ago, on the Citadel when he destroyed the one that attacked the Citadel."

"You've encountered them?"

"This crew is indoctrinated: why aren't you?"

"I haven't time to explain-"

Tali forced the barrel of her pistol harder into the abdomen of her should-be dead mother's enviro-suit.

"We've got time."

"I'm afraid you're wrong, Tali. For some reason the _Vengeance's _shields seemed to have collapsed: the Alliance fleet will soon have this ship utterly destroyed."

"Explain." Tali repeated, pressing the barrel of the gun harder and deeper into the abdomen of the other woman's enviro-suit.

"You would really shoot me?" The woman asked, avoiding her daughter's question.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't." Tali said, her finger tightening around the pistol's trigger.

"Because I'm your mother." The woman answered bluntly. "And because no matter what happens you'll never be a cold-blooded murder-"

"It won't be cold-blooded murder." Tali corrected. "It'll be execution for Treason against-"

"Tali, please, listen to me." Her mother pleaded. "What I've done is to help the Fleet, not harm it-"

"LIAR!" Tali roared, now closer than ever to pulling the trigger. "Seven years ago you caught an airborne virus-"

"It was planned, Tali." The other woman interrupted. "It was all part of the plan I came up with, both me and-"

"A plan to defect to an enemy of the entire galaxy." Tali finished angrily. "You betrayed both me and-"

"I've betrayed no one, Tali'Zorah, and you will start speaking to me with some respect-"

"Respect?" Tali cut her off, the question sounding hollow and humorous as it escaped her hidden mouth. "Respect is earned, _mother_, and any respect I ever had for you has been tossed out the airlock-"

"TALI!" The woman suddenly roared as her hands came up to grab Tali's shoulder. "DOWN!"

Before Tali could figure out what was going on she found herself being flung to the side, landing hard on her back as her pistol went skidding across the small hanger deck.

Instincts took over and Tali quickly rolled over onto her stomach and chest, and as she jumped to her feet, ready to strike back at her long-thought-dead mother, she suddenly noticed they were no longer alone.

Orange globs of energy were splattering the hull of the small fighter now, filling the space where, moments ago, Tali had been holding her mother at gunpoint.

As for her mother, the older woman was standing her ground, an assault rifle already in her hands and belching out deadly fire of its own, and for a moment Tali could do nothing but watch as the woman defended herself, her shots controlled and experienced, each shot counting for something and not being wasted.

As a little girl Tali had only ever seen either of her parents fire their weapons in training exercises, both for them and for her, and while she'd never stood side-by-side with them in actual combat she'd always felt proud and safe knowing they were as good as any of the Marines the Migrant Fleet boasted, a feeling that was suddenly begging to make a return once more.

"I could use a little help here, Tali." Her mother said calmly, ducking behind the fighter to reload her ammunition magazine, and as a burst of enemy fire missed her visor by only a single inch, if that, Tali forced herself back into the present.

She burst into motion, dodging and weaving through the barrage of enemy fire as she covered the deck, rapidly closing the distance between her and her fallen pistol. She knew she still had the empty shotgun, but while it would take only seconds to reload the weapon she knew she was too far away for it to be effective...her pistol would have to do until she could get close enough to make her shotgun effective.

Approaching the discarded weapon she didn't stop nor slow down but instead scooped down and picked the weapon up even as she sped by it, and turning to face her enemies she began adding her own fire into the mix.

While they were heavily armed, these crewmen, indoctrinated as they were, sported very little, if any, armor, and moments later, as her mother again opened fire, Tali watched as the number of enemies began to thin.

She was half-tempted to use Chikktika, but the drone had taken heavy damage during the assault on the Collectors, damage she'd yet had a chance to repair. As she emptied her thermal clip and made to reload it she made a mental note to remedy that situation once she returned to-

She paused as she realized that there was absolutely no chance of her making it back to the _Normandy, _not now, not after she'd forsaken her safe escape to pursue this ghost from her past.

How ironic, she mused dryly: she had chased after a ghost, gone gallivanting across the largest single ship known to exist to get answers from a woman she thought to be dead, only to end up being the ghost, to end up sharing the fate that she'd always believed had been her mother's.

The ship shook more violently than ever, and now it seemed certain that the ship was beginning it's death around her...

And Shepard, the noble hero he was, was coming after her, trying to save her when there would be virtually no chance of escape for him either: the best hope the galaxy had and he would soon be dead as well, and all because she'd been stupid and childish, chasing...

Tali was so caught up in these thoughts that she never saw the Pyronian warrior take aim with a shoulder-fired missile system, nor did she ever see the puff of white smoke expand as the missile took off, streaking off across the deck towards her...

The explosion picked Tali up as though by an invisible hand and threw her with a most mighty force clear across the hanger, her entire body exploding into agony as she hit the bulkhead, and as she landed and rolled onto her back she opened her eyes, the edges of space now creeping into her line of sight, telling her she was near the very edge of the hanger.

"TALI!"

Tali tasted blood in her mouth as she heard her name being frantically shouted. That voice...

There was something familiar about that voice, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it was...could that be her mother's voice?

No. There was no way she could be hearing her mother: the woman had been dead for over seven years now...or perhaps it _was _her mother, and if it was then that meant she, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, was now dead, set to be reunited with...

No, Tali suddenly remembered: that wasn't right. Her mother was still alive, right here with her in the spinning hanger aboard the Pyronian flagship _Vengeance_...

"Momma." Tali said weakly, her voice so low she could barely even hear it herself. She found her heart expanding like a balloon with happiness as the implications of what this meant came raining down around her. She wanted so badly to hug her mother, to tell the woman of the possibility of peace between the Quarians and Geth and the chances of them soon seeing Rannoch again...and her mom _had _to meet Shepard-

_Boom._

That balloon filling up under her breast suddenly exploded as the circumstances of her reunion with her mother came flooding back through her mind. The lying, the deception, the treason...

This time Tali could not contain the tears: the dam holding them back crumbled like the outer hull of the _Vengeance_ under the combined fire of the Earth Defense Platforms. Her eyes burned and blurred as she allowed the tears to freely flow, unable to contain her emotions.

As she blinked a shadowy shape filled her vision as the sound of intensifying gunfire echoed throughout the small hanger, and that balloon began to fill up once more as she realized who it had to-

The previous explosion, however, had apparently done too much damage to the balloon for it to fill up again, for as it deflated that towering figure's gun took aim directly at her visor, and as she closed her eyes and accepted her end Tali could hear the weapon cocking, and her HUD reported her suit's shields no longer existed..

"TALI, NO!"

That was her treasonous mother's voice again, and now that Tali had met up with her destiny, soon to be reunited with her father and other ancestors, no one else would ever know that one of the greatest heroes of the modern-day Quarians had turned traitor. Tali half-smiled: that would no longer be any of her concern.

* * *

><p>Following his exchange with Tali, Shepard believed he had pinpointed her location.<p>

Tali had said she was freefalling in an elevator, and Garrus and Kasumi had reported that she'd taken off chasing someone. Shepard knew that anyone with brains and not indoctrinated would be looking for a way off of the doomed flagship: aft of the main hanger bays there was only one additional hanger, much smaller than the main dorsal bay, and there was an elevator shaft right there at it. Given the maps Duran the Pyronian had given him as he'd taken off after her, Shepard had quickly routed a rendezvous at the hangers, his plan now to come in above her and rescue her in time to escape.

"_Commander," _Miranda's voice filled Shepard's ear, loud and crisp. _"We've got to evacuate, now: this ship's coming down around our ears faster than we imagined."_

"What's happening out there?" He asked, desperate to buy or steal as much time as he could: there was no way in hell he was leaving this ship yet, not without Tali.

"_We don't know, Paragon," _Duran's voice answered. _"And quite frankly, we don't care. All I know is even the _Vengeance _has her limits on the damage her hull can absorb, and I'm guessing she's already passed that limit. Get your ass moving soldier, _now!"

"Fuck off, Duran." Shepard snapped, spinning around a damaged corner as the outermost edges of desperation set in.

"_Skipper," _Ashley cut in. _"The galaxy needs you: you're the only one we've got that can fight the Reapers: no one's worth your life right now, not even Tali-"_

"What would you want me to do, Ash, if it was you-"

"_I'd tell you to get the hell off of this bucket without me." _Ashley fired back, not, to her credit, missing a beat.

"No one gets left behind: that's been my rule from day one, and it's not about to change now-"

"_It happens, Paragon," _Duran retorted. _"Now get used to it, kid, and get your ass back here."_

"_He's right, Skipper." _Ashley agreed. _"We don't like it, but we do lose people in combat: it wouldn't be war if everyone made it out alive."_

"No-"

"_Remember Virmire?" _Ashley asked, and Shepard could now feel his blood turning to ice.

"How could I ever forget?"

"_We lost Kaiden on Virmire." _She stated matter-of-factly. _"None of us liked it, especially me, but there was no possible way we could have gotten to him-"_

"This is different." Shepard growled, stepping into an elevator and forcing it to descend deeper into the bowls of this dreadnaught. "There's not a galaxy-saving nuke that has to be set off manually-"

"_You bloody, idealistic Paragon!" _Duran snapped. _"This is why becoming attached to your crew is so dangerous: it clouds your judgment."_

"My judgment," Shepard answered slowly, forcing himself to remain calm. "Isn't clouded-"

"_Like my testicles it isn't." _He responded angrily. _"You're not just saving her because you don't want to leave a comrade behind: you're saving her because you've become too close to her._

"_Losing comrades in battle is the way it works: like she said: war wouldn't be war if everyone came out on the other side. People die in battle, so get used to it, accept it, and get your ass back here so we can get off of this ship."_

Shepard said nothing as the lift door opened and he took off down the corridor. As determined as he was to rescue Tali and get them _all _off of the _Vengeance_, he knew, deep, deep down that Duran and Ashley were both right.

He had known, from the minute he'd decided to go after her, that deviating from the original plan would make it impossible for either he or Tali to make the rendezvous with the others, and he'd also known that the moment he'd gone chasing after his Quarian lover his life expectancy had decreased by ninety-five percent.

All his life he'd known that he'd lose dozens of people he would grow close to throughout the course of his life because, as they had both pointed out, losing people was nothing new in combat, and Kitch Shepard had always been a soldier, through and through.

He had lost countless friends and comrades during the Skyllian Blitz, back on Elysium, and yet he had pushed through the pain, all but single-handedly holding off the Batarian invasion and sealing their breach in the Alliance defenses until reinforcements could arrive. He had survived. On Eden Prime he had lost Jenkins while combating those rogue Geth under Saren's command, and yet he had pushed through the Corporal's death and gone after Saren. He had survived. On Virimire he had willingly left Kaiden Alenko, one of his oldest friends left to him, behind so that the hero could manually activate the nuke that had destroyed the genophage-proof Krogan factor. It had hurt like hell, but he had survived.

Yes, Shepard, of all people, knew that losing comrades was normal in war, and he had long ago made peace with that fact. However, here and now, he could not accept that knowledge so easily.

Yes, he had know the risks his attachment might one day posed the moment he'd realized his feelings for her; hell, he'd known it back when he'd admitted the same feelings to Ashley, two years prior. As embarrassing as he now found it, however, he'd always fantasized that he would be good enough to keep Tali (or any other member of his crew) from dying, and until now he'd prided himself on doing a good job at it.

No. Shepard pushed all possibilities of failure from his mind, again focusing his brain on the task at hand. Since becoming a Spectre he had become famous (or infamous) for doing things everyone else had said was impossible. He'd become a Human Spectre. He'd saved the Rachni from extinction and had reeled in the rogue Spectre Saren. He'd slain a mythological Reaper many believed to be fiction. He had been killed, only to return to life two years later. He had led his crew through the Omega Four Relay, destroyed the Collectors, and returned to tell the tale, without losing anyone. He found a smile forming on his face: getting himself and Tali off of a doomed vessel should be nothing.

"_DAMN YOU PARAGON!" _Duran's voice roared in his ear._ "NO PEACE OF TAIL, NO MATTER HOW-"_

His voice suddenly shut off as the sound of several guns being cocked filled the silence. And then, a moment later...

"_Shepard,"_ Garrus said calmly. _"Go get Tali and bring her back."_

And suddenly Shepard found there was no way possible to have any more respect for the Turian than he now had.

"_Thanks." _Shepard acknowledge. _"Everyone get aboard that shuttle and rendezvous with Joker and the _Normandy_, now."_

"_Commander-" _Miranda began. Shepard, however, cut her off.

"That's an order, Officer Lawson." He said. "Even if we left now, Tali and I would never make it back to you in time: we'll find some other way off this bucket. Miranda, I'm hereby giving you command of the ground team and the _Normandy _until my return."

"_Copy that, Commander. Good luck."_

"_Hey Paragon," _Duran said. _"Where you at?"_

"Aft of the engines now, en route to a small hanger-"

"_According to the data I found while we were on the Bridge there's a small craft docked there: can you fly?"_

"Reckon I can manage it." Shepard answered, now racing through a guard station.

"_See ya on the other side, Paragon."_

"Duran."

"_Yo."_

"Get 'em off safely."

"_Of course: I'm the best of the best."_

Sending no reply of his own Shepard ran out through the other, open blast door, quickly and quietly leaving the guard station behind as he jerked left and flew down a narrow set of stairs that would shave a full three minutes off of his ETA to this small, forgotten hanger and the only other unaccounted-for member of his crew.

Once at the bottom of the steps he flew down the corridor, moving faster than he'd been running when the Human-Reaper Hybrid had tried to take him down with it. Up ahead was a small, utility door, armored to withstand sudden depressurization...the words AFT AUXILIARY HANGER B were painted in standard basic, and Shepard's heart soared. Tali, he knew, was just beyond that door.

Even with the armor of the gloves protecting his hand the Human soldier nearly jammed his fingers with the strength he'd used to frantically activate the panel to the door's side, in such a rush that he was sorely tempted to try and break the door down with his body, something his brain knew was impossible even though his mind declared nothing was impossible.

The door slid open and Shepard charged like a raging bull across the threshold, his heart soaring to ever-higher heights...only to come crashing down like the _SSV Normandy _moments later.

He was on what appeared to be a maintenance catwalk that extended high above the entire hanger, and judging by the scene unfolding before him he was at the very rear of the hanger.

Below him was a "unique" looking fighter craft, big enough to hold a single pilot, and taking cover behind it was a Quarian female with a green visor, something Shepard couldn't remember ever seeing among the alien race.

The woman was firing off an assault rifle at unseen targets likely entering the hanger from under the catwalk, and across the hanger, out in the open, was Tali, who was joining her fire with her fellow Quarian's, her pistol a miniature cannon in her expert hands.

As Shepard prepared to join in the fight, however, he saw Tali's clip empty, and as she made to replace it she suddenly stopped, staring ahead and not moving...moments later the white smoke of a small rocket streaked across the deck, impacting the bulkhead meters to Tali's left, and in horror, helplessly, Shepard watched as the young woman was lifted up and thrown clear across the deck...his breath caught as she was nearly thrown through the transparent crimson energy shields that kept oxygen and pressure locked inside of the hanger.

"TALI!" The Quarian woman screamed, and Shepard found he was truly surprised that not only was there a second Quarian aboard the _Vengeance _but this woman seemed to personally know Tali.

His breathing became easier as he saw her stir: she was still alive. He reached behind him to unholster his assault rifle, but as his hand touched the weapon there was suddenly a dozen or so Pyronian crewmen rushing out from under the catwalk, and while most of them tried to swarm the remaining Quarian one of them made his way to Tali, who was visibly unable to defend herself. The man now stood over Tali, and without stopping to think on what he was doing Shepard left his assault rifle where it was, moving to free the sniper rifle he rarely used.

As Shepard swung his sniper rifle into action he pressed his left eye to the scope, moving the crosshairs towards this new threat.

"TALI, NO!"

The moment after he heard the weapon in the Pyronian's hand cock, Shepard had the crosshairs over the back of the man's head, and smiling, he tightened his fingers around the trigger.

When he could help it, Shepard preferred not to use a sniper rifle. He was as proficient in its use as anyone else, but sniping had never been his favorite form of combat; even though he could hit any target he was given. he was no Garrus Vakarian, Thane Krios, or Legion...this made his smile grow even wider: hitting this target would be amateur play for even the least-proficiently-trained sniper.

Shepard fired.

The man's head exploded.

Tali was, for the moment, safe.

Returning his sniper rifle to its rightful position, Shepard grabbed his fully-loaded assault rifle and charged towards the closest set of stairs, jumping onto the railings and balancing himself as he slid down them to quickly join the battle against his latest victim's comrades.

Landing on the deck Shepard spun around and charged the open blast doors that led into the hanger, and after using the consol to shut the doors he then fired a single shot into the panel, making sure no one would be coming up behind him anytime soon.

As Shepard turned back towards, the battle, his rifle raised and ready, glowing balls of energy began splattering all around him, but Shepard remained calm as he stalked forward, snapping off one shot at a time as he picked his targets, making sure each shot he had left did as much damage possible, and as he closed in on his enemies, moving into point-blank range, he held the trigger down, rapidly spitting out fire while still making sure each shot count.

Inside of a single minute it was all over, and holstering his nearly-empty rifle back in the holster on his back Shepard charged forward, narrowly beating the second Quarian to Tali's still-fallen body.

"She'll be fine for now." The woman said without preamble. "Once you get her off this ship she'll need some rest and immuno boosters, but I don't think she'll suffer any lasting damage."

"The _Normandy's _on station." Shepard explained, not asking for the woman's name. "Once we-"

"There's a Quarian vessel here?" The woman asked. "I don't even remember the fleet having a ship named the _Normandy_, but-"

"The _Normandy's _an All-" Shepard paused, his interrupted court-martial coming back into focus.

"The _Normandy _is a Human ship." Shepard finished, correcting himself.

"She crews a _Human _vessel?" The woman asked, her voice mixed between surprise, curiosity, outrage, and amazement.

"Long story." Shepard answered. "Who are you?"

"A friend." The woman answered simply. "Who are you?"

"Shepard." He answered just as simply. "I'm a Spectre. What are you doing aboard a Pyronian ship?"

"Work." She answered.

"This crew's been-"

"Indoctrinated by a Reaper." The woman finished quickly. "Yes, I know."

"Why aren't you indoctrinated too?"

"You need to get her aboard your ship." The woman said, ignoring his question. "She might have a concussion. I trust this _Normandy _of yours has a medical bay suited to treating a Quarian?"

"It wouldn't be the first time." Shepard said, and while he could see virtually nothing of the woman's face beneath her mask he did get the impression she had cocked her eyebrow, figuratively speaking, at his words.

"Tali's been with us enough for our medical officer to get used to her special safety needs."

"Well, Spectre Shepard, even in my seclusion I've heard the stories about you. Most are likely fictional fabrications, but if even one of those stories is true then I believe Tali is in good hands."

Below him Tali moaned as she began to stir once more.

"I must be going." The woman said, standing back up. "This ship won't be around too much longer."

She headed back towards the small fighter, and as she opened the cockpit and climbed up she stopped and looked back at Shepard and Tali, and he got the distinct impression of a forlorn feeling about the woman...and then she was inside of the fighter, and moments later it had lifted off of the deck and was gone.

"_Commander Shepard." _EDI's voice came in suddenly. _"The defensive Kinetic Dome has been lowered: additional Alliance units have finally arrived and are linking their fire with the defense platforms_: _my estimation is that ship will be destroyed thirty-one seconds before the self-destruct Mr. Dregan ordered initiates. We have locked onto your signal and are en route for extraction."_

"Copy that, EDI: the hanger is clear of hostile forces: have Dr. Chakwas prepare for incoming wounded."

"_Who shall I tell her has been injured, Commander?"_

"Tali."

"I-I'm o-okay, Shepard." Tali said weakly.

"_Doctor Chakwas has been informed, Commander; we're inbound on your position."_

"Standing by, EDI." Shepard said before cutting the line of communications with the _Normandy._

"What happened?" Tali asked, trying to sit up.

"I saved your life-again." He joked, fighting to keep his emotions from showing in his voice.

"Good." Tali answered with a cough. "You need the practice." Another cough. "_Keelah_, my body feels like it got run over with our old Mako tank."

"I'd be surprised if it didn't." Shepard responded. "You were slammed across the deck by an explosion that got too close."

"Really?" Tali asked. "I would never have guessed. That explains a lot: the loud explosion, the bright flash of light, and every bone in my body feeling like they've been broken twice."

"I really am going to have to have a talk with Joker and Garrus-"

"Why?" Tali countered. "You're the bad influence on me."

The ship shook violently again, and through the deck under his boot he could tell the ship was now in its death spiral.

"Tali, do me a favor." Shepard said, suddenly all seriousness once more.

"W-what?"

"Don't ever do that to me again."

"Do what?"

"Scare me." Shepard explained, pulling the Quarian woman close to him and holding her tightly.

"I'll be fine, Shepard." Tali protested. Shepard, however, shook his head.

"This time." He answered. "In less than 24 hours you've cheated death three times. The Collectors, the mechs on the _Cairo, _and now this: each time your escape gets narrower and narrower."

"Need I remind you, _Commander_, that you were in each one of the situations?" Tali asked. "Each time you escaped death just as narrowly as I did."

"I-" Shepard began, only to stop. Really, at the end of the day, what could he say to that, especially when it was so true? There was no way in the world he could use the excuse of her being a woman: even if she'd been one of those princess-wannabe Human women that'd have been sexist, and it'd not have earned him any favors.

"Just promise me you'll be more careful." Shepard said as the ship under them buckled. "I'm supposed to be the suicidal one, remember?"

Tali laughed weakly. "What can I say; you've always been one of those leadership-by-example types."

Shepard joined in with a laugh of his own as he looked up to see the _Normandy _quickly approaching the small hanger.

"That Quarian that just took off." Shepard said, now seeking one final answer before they rejoined the rest of the crew aboard the _Normandy_. "That's who you were chasing, wasn't it?" He asked, standing up so that he could help Tali to her feet. The young woman nodded.

"Who is she?"

"No one-"

"Do I have to pull rank and order you, as your Captain, to tell me."

"You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?" Shepard asked, choosing his words carefully. "Tali, I trust you with my life, and whatever you say will stay between us. I must know, however, who she is: her presence here unsettles me."

"Unsettles _you_?" Tali asked.

"Yes, me." He answered. "She knows that Reaper for what it is, and she seems to have resisted its indoctrination process, something no one else aboard this ship has done. She spoke of seclusion-"

"She was Lena'Zorah vas Rayya."

"Was?"

"She died seven years ago of an airborne virus-"

"Zorah..." Shepard repeated, and suddenly the gravity of what Tali had just said struck him, and Shepard knew without a single doubt who the woman was. "She's your mother!"

"Was." Tali corrected. "My mother died seven years ago."

"Tali-"

"What you saw just now was a ghost."

"She was very much alive-"

"You are imagining things Shepard." Tali said as the _Normandy _pulled alongside the stricken Pyronian warship and the docking arm extended out over the ship's airlock, not stopping until it was through the energy shields, which were beginning to flicker rapidly.

Tali grabbed his hands and allowed him to pull her to her feet: as he moved to drape her left arm over his shoulder, however, she fought him off.

"I can walk on my own, Shepard."

As if to prove herself wrong the young Quarian swayed, and Shepard was right there to catch her.

"Yeah," Shepard answered as he pulled Tali towards the safety of the _Normandy. _"You can walk on your own."

"_Bosh'tet." _She murmured. As they entered the extendable docking arm, however, Shepard stopped and turned her so that she was facing him, and wasting what few precious seconds of time they had left, he bowed his head so that their helmets were touching.

"I'll always be here for you, Tali, never doubt that."

"I-"

"Whatever happens in the future, you're among friends and family here, and you always will be, okay?"

Tali nodded her head. "Don't leave me."

Shepard shook his head, failing to hear the double meaning in those three words. "Never." Was his answer.

He draped her arm over his shoulder once more and together, as the _Vengeance _began falling apart behind them, they opened the airlock, entered their ship, and then, as the airlock closed and the _Normandy _fled the doomed Pyronian flagship, He sat Tali gently on the ground and knelt down beside her as Chakwas began her examination of the pair.

"Well Shepard, once more you walked right through the gates of hell and come out without a scratch." Garrus laughed, and looking up Shepard realized the entire squad was now on the Bridge.

"Commander, look at me." Chakwas ordered, and turning to look back at the doctor Shepard was blinded as she flashed a small light in his eyes.

"Hmm." She began thoughtfully, and before Shepard could say anything she began rapidly slapping his cheeks several times in quick unison.

"What-" Shepard began, but the doctor cut him off.

"You caught something."

"I what-"

"You've been infected with a contagion." She explained quickly.

"A virus?" Shepard asked, his mind spinning. Chakwas shook her head.

"It's worse than any virus; much, much worse, and far more deadly."

"I-"

"I am hereby diagnosing you with Suicidal Hero Disorder."

The entire Bridge, Tali included, exploded into laughter.

"You, on the other, hand," She continued, turning to face Tali. "Can accompany me to the medical bay, _now."_

"What's our situation?" Shepard asked as he helped Tali to her feet.

"The Reaper came in-system shortly after you vaporized the rest of the attack fleet." Anderson answered as he came in to help Shepard pull Tali to her feet.

"It joined the battle?"

"Momentarily. It fired on the _Cairo _and destroyed the entire station, along with the stations _Denver, Albany, _and _Montgomery._"

"Oh no." Shepard said, looking over at Ashley: her sister, along with most of Alliance High Command, had been aboard the _Cairo_...

"It's okay." Anderson quickly explained. "Shortly before it attacked, Ensign Williams led a bold evacuation attempt: she single-handedly got Admiral Sebastian and Alliance High Command off of the _Cairo. _Admiral Sebastian has already officially transferred his flag to the Defense Platform _Tokyo_, and that is where your court-martial will resume."

"They still plan on court-martialing him?" Joker asked, outraged. "That's really some way to show your appreciation for the guy who saved your ass. Commander, I can have us to the Mass Relay in-"

"No, Joker." Shepard cut in. "We're staying."

"Oh, okay, I see: your last suicide attempt failed so you're going to try again-"

"I will see my court-martial through." Shepard answered. "Besides, as Ash's sister pointed out, they have no real grounds to court-martial me, so I doubt I'll be convicted of anything."

"It resumes in two standard hours." Anderson added as they began moving Tali to the medical bay.

As per usual with events that one dreads, time flew by impossibly fast...two hours later Shepard found himself standing before the re-gathered officials of his trial, he himself once more flanked by Tali and Garrus.

Chakwas had tried to keep Tali in the medical bay, but the Quarian had refused to be separated from Shepard, and so, after nearly a full hour of intense arguing, the greatest doctor Shepard knew had agreed to allow Tali to accompany him, but only if she too were present, which was the reason she now sat in the front row of the small audience assembled behind them.

Admiral Sebastian stood, and in that moment the sea of small talk and whispered chatter died off.

"Shepard, it is a very rare predicament I now find myself in." The man began. "As such, I hope you understand the gravity of this situation and the words I am preparing to speak. Am I understood?"

"Sir." Shepard answered with a nod of his head.

"I would like to begin by offering you my most sincere apology." Sebastian continued. "Despite your admitted cooperation with the terrorist organization calling itself Cerberus and the questionable actions you performed during this unholy tenure, it is the unanimous opinion of the Systems Alliance High Command that you were, as you claim, acting in the best interests of Humanity and the Alliance.

"We have browsed your preliminary reports you forwarded to us immediately following the end of combat operations above Earth, and though we await your full, official report we are forced to conclude that the mystery ship that attacked the _Cairo _before fleeing Alliance space was indeed, like the ship that attacked the Citadel two years ago, a Reaper and not an advanced Geth warship. Are we correct in assuming that these Reapers are capable of total mind control?"

"You are, Admiral." Shepard answered, not believing this sudden change of attitude.

"Disturbing indeed." He murmured. "Very well. Kitch Shepard, it is the unanimous decision that, while questionable and unorthodox, your past actions have been solely for the betterment of the Alliance, and that, as Ensign Williams pointed out, we have no longer got any jurisdiction over you. You are cleared of all charges and free to go, with our gratitude and our apologies."

"Thank you, Admiral-"

"We do, however, have one request."

"Admiral?"

"Seeing as how you are still very much alive, I have been authorized to reinstate you into the active duty roster of the Systems Alliance, with a promotion to the rank of Major. Should you accept your record will be altered so that rather than be removed from the duty roster following your death you will have been promoted: this comes, of course, with all due back pay."

"With all due respect, Admiral, are you trying to buy me?" Shepard asked, drawing a gentle laugh from the assembled.

"Hardly, Shepard." The other man answered. "However, if we are to prepare for this Reaper threat you claim is coming for us we will need every soldier we can get: that includes the best of the best."

"What about the _Normandy_?" Shepard asked suspiciously.

"She will, of course, be re-designated the _SSV Normandy SR-2." _Sebastian answered. "You, of course, will retain full command of the vessel."

"And my crew?" Shepard asked, my _Cerberus _crew?"

"Officially, they're suspected terrorists-"

"Officially, if I don't get my crew then you don't get me." Shepard intervened sternly. "I'll accept this new commission, but only if the _Normandy's _Human crew are given the chance to either reactivate their Alliance military commissions, with a double promotion similar to mine, or to be allowed to activate a new commission if they've never served in the military. Every member of my crew will be given full pardons, never to be asked about or held accountable for any and all crimes they may have committed in their past."

"Are you trying to blackmail us-"

"I'd never dream of anything so bold, Admiral, especially not here." He answered. "You say you're offering me this re-commission because you need all the soldiers you can get, that this includes the best of the best: I understand that, I really do, because I'm in the same situation.

"Those aboard the _Normandy _right now know that ship better than anyone else in the universe; I don't have the time nor the luxury to train in an entirely new crew."

"Your points are valid, Shepard. We will have to perform background checks on all members of your crew, of course, but any not found guilty of major felonies will be given the terms you've negotiated-

"I'm not finished, Admiral."

"You never are."

"The nonhuman members of my crew should be given the chance to accept honorary Alliance commissions as well."

"Nonhuman crew-"

"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, our Quarian Chief Engineer. Garrus Vakarian, our Turian Gunnery Officer. Doctor Mordin Solus, our Salarian Science Officer. We also have Grunt, our Krogan Warrior, Samara, our Asari Justicar, and Thane Krios, our Drell Target Neutralization Specialist-"

"Target Neutralization Specialist?" Admiral Hackett asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Sorry, Admiral." Shepard apologized. "I've grown proficient in improvising recently."

Another laugh from those gathered.

"Very well." Sebastian answered, actually one of those laughing. "It's unorthodox and unprecedented, but the same conditions will apply."

"And Admiral, this includes Legion and EDI."

"Who?"

"Legion is our Geth Target Neutralization Specialist-"

"You expect us to commission a _Geth_?" Sebastian asked as those gathered gasped collectively.

"I do." Shepard answered. "Times are changing."

"Send me to the brig." Sebastian said. "Who's Edi?"

"EDI is the _Normandy's _Artificial Intelligence-"

"You mean Virtual Intelligence-"

"No, Admiral, I mean Artificial Intelligence."

"That's illegal, Shepard-"

"So is half of what I've had to do over the past few weeks." Shepard admitted. "But, without it we're all doomed. Both EDI and Legion, like the rest of the _Normandy_ crew, have proven themselves not only trustworthy but also vital to keeping the ship in tact."

"I might as well request to be given a new duty station peeling potatoes by hand." Sebastian muttered. "This would never be accepted under normal circumstances, but as we've all witnessed today these circumstances are anything but normal. Very well; pending official background clearance your terms will be accepted."

"Then I accept my commission."

"Very well, _Major _Shepard. I will be sending a set of top-secret coordinates to your helmsman shortly: you are to leave here aboard the _SSV Normandy_ and proceed immediately to those coordinates for repairs and a complete refit."

Shepard snapped to attention. "Yes, sir."

"Dismissed." The older man muttered as the entire room exploded into applause.

As Shepard led Tali and Garrus through the throng of people inside of the room he noticed one of the reporters, a familiar looking woman, and smiling he sent a quick, private message to Kasumi, asking her to "invite" one Ms. Emily Wong for a brief stay aboard the _Normandy SR-2._

"Major Shepard," Ensign Williams addressed in a whisper, fighting to keep up with him. "I need a favor."

"Anything you ask, Ensign." Shepard answered, grateful to the young woman for her unique defense of him against the Alliance prior to the attack on Earth.

"I've had to pull some strings, but I've managed to secure a transfer for me, to a new duty station of my choice. All I need is your signature."

"My signature?" Shepard asked.

"What duty station?" Tali asked, though Shepard already knew the answer.

"The _SSV Normandy SR-2_."

"Why?" Shepard asked.

"Look, Commander, I fought those mechs aboard the Cairo, and I led the evacuation: I've seen what we're facing: you need every gun you can get."

"Why not go with your sister aboard the _Okinawa_?"

"With all due respect to Ash, sir, she's a great sister, but I'll never be able to adequately serve under her as my Commanding Officer."

"Any additional skills, aside from handling a gun as big as you and having a law degree?"

"In basic I excelled in specialty training for alternate communications and navigation."

Shepard nodded his head. "Welcome aboard, Ensign Williams: I'll have your orders signed before we leave Earth."

"Thank you sir: I'll meet you there." She said, offering a quick, sloppy salute before she turned and ran off.

Shepard couldn't help but feel upbeat about their chances to stop the Reapers now: Earth was safe, he was free, and he had the Alliance on his side. The _Normandy _was no getting ready for repairs and a refit, and his crew was all but fully rounded out with experts in every field he could immediately think of.

Too bad he didn't know that the party hadn't even begun...

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><p><strong>Okay, before I begin my usual explanations, I am going to hold a little contest for those of you reading this. See, through all of my research, including my worship of the official <em>Mass Effect <em>Wiki page, I have only found a few native Quarian words, and of those words only one, _bosh'tet_, is a curse word. As an author, both of my own original works and of fanfictions, I prefere to have a wide-range of words at my disposal; I find it keeps the story I'm telling from becoming too bland and boring. So, here's the deal: if you can think of a nice, colorful Quarian curse that sounds like it came from the actual _Mass Effect _universe then send it to me, either via a private message or at the end of a signed review. The winners will be announced at the top of the next chapter: I will be choosing three when I make my next update. In addition, if someone out there finds an official curse, aside from _bosh'tet_, that has been used by a Quarian character, either in the video games, books, or comics, you may send it to me, along with a link to where you found it, and provided I feel it's accurate I will give you credit for bringing it to my attention.**

**Okay, now that that's out of the way, I'd like to say how glad I am that no one found the last chapter too rushed...at least, none of you that reviewed. I equally hope that this chapter isn't rushed, and I also hope I was able to keep the characters in-character.**

**I must admit that when I finished the last chapter I had intended to make the mystery Quarian be Tali's mom: I never remembered hearing anything about her mother. However, hours after posting Chapter Nine, I was re-reading what I got from the _Mass Effect _Wiki and it mentioned Tali's mother died five years prior to the first Mass Effect, due to an air-born virus. Luckily, however, I have already devised a way around this particular issue, so all is good.**

**I have finally found information on N7 ranks within the Systems Alliance, and as Shepard was at the rank of Lieutenant-Commander, I decided to skip the rank of Staff Commander and give him the next available rank, Major. Now, according to the Wiki this rank is that of Captain or Major, with Captain being Alliance Navy and Major being for Alliance Marines. As Shepard is the latter, he gets the rank of Major.**

**And I know the Alliance would have to have a hard time allowing an active Geth and an active AI remain aboard the _Normandy_, hence the reason I had Shepard, as they say, go to bat for his entire crew. Don't worry, though: there's going to be plenty of exciting backlash.**

**I would like to also take this moment to give due credit to **MB18932**, who guessed that the mysterious Quarian might be Admiral Daro-Xen; while incorrect his reasoning for this theory has given me some additional ideas and helped me refine others.**

**So, what's everyone think of Chapter Ten? You know, I never really thought, back when I posted the first chapter of this story, my pilot, that anyone would want to read this, and yet here I am, finishing up Chapter Ten...thank you, everyone. I am most humbled and honored you take the time to read what I write.**

**Until next time...**


	11. Soldiering's Great Trap

**Okay, here we are, Chapter Eleven of _Mass Effect III: Union. _As usual, I don't own _Mass Effect, _yeah you know the drill...I really am getting tired of saying this over and over. **

**Now, before I go on, I will announce the winners of my little contest here. Only one actual curse was submitted, and I like it enough that I will end up using it.**

_Tor'Sath_**; ****submitted by: **green123438

**Also, **Albericus **suggested I speak with fellow author **Calinstel **and **GoG ToXiC **also suggested **Calinstel **as well as **Tairis Deamhan, **so thanks to you both: I will be speaking with both **Calinstel **and **Tairis Deanham**, hopefully to gain their permission to use some of their Quarian curses.**

* * *

><p><strong>ADDDITIONAL STORIES BY <strong>Guardian Kitch**:**

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 011: Soldiering's Great Trap<strong>_

{**1101; 10:01 a.m.}**

[**Location:** _SSV Normandy SR-2_]

(**En route to Wayland - Gemini System - Phoenix Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

"_Major Shepard." _EDI's mechanical voice came over the speaker in Shepard's cabin. _"We are approaching our final destination: ETA is five minutes."_

"On my way EDI." Shepard said, rubbing his eyes as he sat up in his bed. Following the Battle of Earth and his promotion by the Alliance, the newly-renamed _SSV Normandy _had been forced to wait for over an hour while Alliance crews checked on the Sol System's Mass Relay to ensure that the Reaper that had orchestrated the attack on Earth had done nothing to sabotage the Relay. In the intervening time the Pyronian named Duran had disappeared, leaving no clue as to where he might have gone while Shepard had added Duran's name to the list he'd given Admiral Sebastian and the Alliance High Command.

Shepard had then spoken with the reporter named Emily Wong, a woman he'd met on the Citadel back during his pursuit of Saren: as far as reporters went, she was the one he most trusted.

He had given her the exclusive of a life time, telling her of everything he knew about his death, his resurrection, and his rumored employment by Cerberus: by the time she'd left the _Normandy _she had a story in her hands that would make her the biggest reporter in galactic history.

As he'd watched her disembark from the _Normandy _he'd realized that the story she would air in only hours would create a firestorm of controversy and anger for the Citadel Council _and _the Systems Alliance. He'd been unable to resist smiling as the words _'Political Shit Storm_' being uttered by a certain politician he knew. He'd still be standing there, smiling when Duran had returned moments later, suddenly very eager to be going.

Beside him, Tali stirred, trying to sit up beside him. "What's going on?" She asked groggily.

"_We're_ almost wherever it is Sebastian's sending us. _You _need to lay down and get some more rest; you heard Dr. Chakwas."

"_Keelah, _I'll be fine." She muttered, bringing herself upright.

Shepard said nothing as he stripped off his clothes. He could feel Tali staring him over, and unable to resist he turned his head and caught (he hoped) her gaze.

"See anything you like?" He teased, going for one of the fresh uniforms he'd just been given. During the _Normandy's _wait at Earth one of Admiral Hackett's aids had came aboard the ship, delivering Shepard a massive crate full of new dress-uniforms, complete with his new rank insignia: even with a planet injured from a sneak attack the Alliance still saw fit to make sure the niceties were observed. As Joker had so eloquently put it, militaristic bureaucracy at its best.

"It's not anything I've never seen before." Tali retorted, causing Shepard to fake a cringe on his face.

"That's cold."

"I learned from the best."

"I know: I really mustn't forget that talk with Garrus and Joker."

Tali laughed, but even in that laugh he could hear some of the pain and sadness in her voice. Once he'd finished with his uniform he walked over and took a seat next to the young Quarian, taking her three-fingered hands into his own.

"Tali, I think you need to have faith in your mother."

"You _what_?"

"Her actions make no sense-"

"They make perfect sense." Tali countered. "She faked her death and is working with our enemy-"

"Then why did she help me save your life?" Shepard asked. "If she's really gone over to the enemy then why-"

"She thought I'd accept her back with open arms and then use that position to betray me, to betray _us_, to the Reapers."

"I still say there's more to her than meets the eye." Shepard responded. "When she spoke she seemed genuinely concerned about you."

"Trust me, Shepard," Tali answered back. "She's a traitor, to the Migrant Fleet and the galaxy."

"Perhaps you're right." Shepard conceded. "Maybe she is trying to set you, and through you this crew, up for betrayal to the Reapers: it wouldn't be the first time in history it's happened. However, my instincts tell me there's more to her story than that."

"Your judgment's clouded-"

"By what?" Shepard scoffed. "She's _your _mother-"

"And that's why you're so set on making her seem better than she is." Tali protested. "You're trying to make me feel better by making me think that maybe there's a reasonable explanation as to why she faked her death."

"Even though it doesn't seem to be working."

"For seven years I've had to accept the fact that she'd moved on to join our ancestors, and then I suddenly come across her, fleeing a vessel belonging to a species thought to be extinct. She admits to working with a known enemy of-"

"If memory serves, was I not working for an enemy of the Migrant Fleet when _we _were reunited, both on Freedom's Progress and on Haestrom?"

"This is completely different-"

"How so?" Shepard interrupted. "On Freedom's Progress I had been dead for two years. When we crossed paths following my resurrection I was working for Cerberus-"

"To stop the Collectors, who happened to be working for the Reapers." Tali cut in.

"How do we know your mother's not doing something similar?" Shepard asked. "How do we know her work with the Pyronians isn't against the Reapers as well, and her being aboard the _Vengeance _isn't just a case of her being in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"She lied." Tali responded, and while her voice remained fiercely convinced of her mother's guilt the Human Major could sense the seeds of doubts, and in those seeds of doubt he could tell that perhaps Tali was no longer as convinced of her mother's guilt as she was pretending to be.

"I'll make you a deal." Shepard answered, a sudden idea popping into his mind.

"What?" Tali asked, and through her violet visor Shepard could see the white slits of Tali's eyes narrow suspiciously.

"If you'll give me your word that you'll keep an open mind until we find evidence that proves one way or another what your mother's up to, we'll hunt her down and get to the bottom of this."

"You're serious." She made it a statement. Shepard nodded his head.

"I'm interested myself in why a Quarian everyone thought was dead was fleeing a doomed ship that happened to be leading an attack against Earth. If she's working against the Reapers then we can use her. If she's working _for _the Reapers, then..." He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

"Then we stop her." Tali finished with a growl. "This time I'll see to it personally that she really is dead-"

"I have to have your word that you'll keep an open mind, at least until we get proof one way or the other."

In answer, Tali reached over and embraced Shepard, and even through her enviro-suit he could feel the emotion radiating from her. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him, suddenly feeling far more tired than he could ever remember being before.

"_Major Shepard," _EDI repeated. _"We are preparing to come through the Phoenix Two Relay now."_

"I'm on my way EDI." Shepard answered, breaking the embrace between him and the young Quarian woman.

"I promise, Tali," Shepard said, a sudden flame of determination roaring to life inside of him. "As soon as the _Normandy's _at one hundred percent we'll go find your mother, and we'll get all of these questions answered."

"Thank you, Shepard." Tali answered, giving his hand a gentle, appreciative squeeze. "I will always appreciate this-"

"Think nothing of it, Tali." Shepard cut her off. "After all you've done for me, it's the least I could do."

Together, Shepard and Tali entered the bridge side-by-side, joining Miranda, Jacob, and Garrus in looking out through the forward viewports at the green, blue, and brown planet looming ever larger ahead of them.

At first glance Shepard had thought perhaps something had gone wrong, that they had gotten turned around and had thus ended up back at Earth.

That was only at first glance. Studying the planet closer, however, Shepard had realized that the landmasses were too large and looked completely different than those of the Human homeworld.

Surrounding the planet were thousands of massive orbital weapon platforms that looked strong enough to make even a fleet of Reapers think twice about launching an attack.

Closer to the planet's surface were dozens of orbital shipyards full of half-constructed vessels, squadrons of fighters zooming in and out of the orbital formations, ready to take on any threat at any time.

"Holy hell." Joker breathed. "Where did they take us?"

"I have to agree." Jacob responded. "I've never seen so much firepower in one place before."

"Shepard," Tali asked. "Where are we?"

"I have no idea." Shepard answered. "The last time I heard of the Phoenix Two Relay I was a teenager, and it was offline at the time."

"Something's off here." Garrus said suddenly. "I see fighters, I see defensive orbital platforms, but I don't see any operational capital ships, no fleet elements."

"He's right." Jacob said. "Fighters usually stay within reach of capital ships."

"Yeah, because they so need capital ships with those platforms."

"_Major Shepard, we are being directed to one of the shipyards on the planet's surface."_

"Yeah, yeah," Joker muttered. "I see it."

"Can the planet handle the _Normandy's _mass?" Shepard asked.

"This planet's so big it could handle a dozen ships the size of a Reaper." Miranda responded, speaking up for the first time since Shepard's arrival on the Bridge.

"Take us in, Joker." Shepard ordered.

As the _Normandy's _orbit around the unknown planet dropped two full squadrons of fighter craft peeled away from the defense platform they'd been circling, and for the briefest of moments Shepard felt as though they were about to come under fire, as though the Alliance had betrayed them all...

Moments later, though, the fighters zoomed past the _Normandy_, and a moment later, as they approached the outer edges of the planet's atmosphere, Joker spoke up.

"It looks like they're rolling out the red carpet. Those fighters have taken up escort positions around us, a squadron to port, a squadron to starboard."

The Bridge was silent as the _Normandy _swooped down through the unknown planet's atmosphere, Joker following the instructions they were being given for their final approach.

That final destination was atop a massive mesa in the middle of a small desert. There were a dozen or so shipyards on all sides of the mesa, but their coordinates looked to take them directly to the top of the mesa itself, which was as bare as any landmark Shepard could ever remember see.

"Am I the only one missing something here?" Joker asked. "They're asking me to land us on _dirt_?"

"What's the problem, Mr. Moreau?" Miranda asked mildly. "Can't handle it?"

Before Joker could come back with a response, however, something under the mesa's surface began to move, as though there were something alive just under the dirt...seconds later a door began to slide open, reminding Shepard of the hanger bay doors atop the now-destroyed Pyronian warship, _Vengeance._

"No Joker," Shepard responded as they began descending into the mesa itself. "I think we all missed this one."

"No kidding." Garrus answered as the gargantuan hanger bays finished swallowing the _Normandy _whole.

"Shepard," Joker said minutes later, once the _Normandy _had stopped moving. "According to this 'Alliance Auxiliary Command', the Commanding General is en route and wishes to speak with the Command Crew of the _SSV Normandy." _His voice, Shepard noted, had taken on a mocking tone.

Looking around, Shepard noted that his, as Joker had said, "Command Crew", aside from Mordin, were already present on the Bridge, those members of his assembled squad with official titles aboard the ship.

"EDI, have Mordin report to the Bridge as soon as possible."

A moment later... _"Doctor Solus will join you momentarily, Major."_

True to the AI's words, the Salarian Scientist was walking up behind them less than half a minute later, quiet and respectful, as usual, as Shepard led them to the airlock.

Outside of the _Normandy,_ the deck was cool and quiet, hushed as though everyone were afraid to speak.

As Shepard led his team down the deck, a small, armored blast door at the other end of the dock opened, a trio of Humans, two men and a woman, walking through at a brisk, official pace that looked to have been drilled into them from basic.

The woman looked to barely be out of her teenage years, and while her neatly pressed uniform and clean, perfectly cut brown hair marked her as military, she looked more like she should be in a classroom than a military base.

The younger of the two men looked to be middle-aged, between thirty-five and forty-five, his stomach protruding out ahead of him in a well-cared-for beer gut, his graying, frayed uniform matching his hair and beard.

The man these two were flanking, however, was giving off a raw, commanding presence, something one would encounter whilst in the presence of a man who had spent his entire career as a field commander, a man who lived best at home on the battlefield with the men and women under his career. His posture alone was tall and proud, as commanding as his presence.

Kitch Shepard drew in a sharp breath, his heart freezing to a halt as he realized who this "Commanding General" was.

The fifty-four year-old man's hair was done in an old-fashioned buzz cut, his hair not so much grey as it was dark brown peppered with speckles of white that seemed to be growing very slowly. He sported a neatly-trimmed beard and mustache, fuller than the rough stubble Shepard called a beard. His eyes had once been a light hazel color but were now a cool steel color, and his uniform was the most perfect uniform Shepard had ever recalled. His voice boomed, deep, loud, and full as he spoke.

"How do you like that, Corporal Sanders?" He asked the young woman flanking him. "The only time I get to see my boy is when his boat gets busted up and he needs me to fix it!"

"Yes, sir." She answered, her voice and tone neutral...the tone of the perfect aid to an Alliance general.

Kitch found himself laughing as he offered the older man a salute. "Major Shepard reporting-"

"Boy, you better come here and give your old man a hug." His father barked, striding forward to meet the younger Shepard.

The two Shepard men embraced, and as his father thumped him hard on the back it was all Kitch could do to keep from falling to his knees.

"So, _Major_, huh?" The older man asked, pushing Shepard back and holding him at arm's length so that he could inspect the younger man's uniform. "Hot damn. The missus will be proud-"

"Mom's here too?"

"Nah, not at the moment. The _Orizaba's _on maneuvers and won't be back for at least a month."

"So," The other man asked, his voice rough and scratchy. "This is the famous Kitch Shepard, eh? Hero of the Citadel, Scourge of Batarians and Geth, so on so forth? So damned honored to be in the presence of a hero...forgive me for not groveling at your feet...bad back and all."

"Service Chief Harry Jennings." General Shepard explained, jerking a thumb back at the man. "Almost as old as I am, damn good with numbers and logistics, and has no time for heroes and legends."

"It's all a bunch of mumbo jumbo if you ask me." The other man answered.

"He's the best Service Chief you'll ever find anywhere in this galaxy. He'll be overseeing the various stages of the _Normandy's _refit and repairs."

"Shepard," Tali asked slowly. "He's your _father_?"

"I don't claim him, I promise." Shepard answered, drawing amusement from the look of outrage on the other man's face.

"Major General Matthew Shepard, this is Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Gunnery Officer Garrus Vakarian, Science Officer Mordin Solus, Executive Officer Miranda Lawson, and Armory Chief Jacob Taylor, my Command Crew for the _SSV Normandy."_

"Quite a 'diverse' crowd you got here, kid." The man said, offering them each a sharp, perfect salute.

"Major," the young woman said. "We saw your court-martial over the extranet: you had Admiral Sebastian's balls clenched tight...you could have ordered anything by him, sir."

"And my personal aid, Corporal Laura Sanders." General Shepard introduced. "Corporal, do you kiss that fiancé of yours with that mouth?"

"All the time, sir." She said, suddenly accessing her omni-tool.

"I just bet." The General muttered. "Corporal Sanders here will be responsible for relocating your crew for the duration of your stay here."

"General Shepard, sir, we've got an incoming message from a Second Lieutenant Ashley Williams. She requests permission to board and speak with Major Shepard...she says it's Spectre business for the Citadel Council."

"Let her board." The younger Shepard answered, and in turn the General nodded.

"You heard the man, Corporal."

"Sir, yes sir!"

"So," Kitch asked, turning to face the _Normandy's _damaged body. "Where _are _we?"

"The planet officially named SACP00019411207, codenamed Wayland."

"Never heard of it."

"I'd be suspicious if you had." The older man answered. "Only a select group of Alliance Personnel know this planet even exists."

"Why the heavy military presence?" Kitch asked. "Aside from active combat zones, Alliance policies have always been to give colony worlds sparse military forces: the bulk of our armies concentrate on vital locations like Earth and Arcturus Station."

"Wayland is as important to the Systems Alliance as Earth and Arcturus Station." The General answered.

"Why?"

"Eleven years ago, Alliance High Command decided to activate the Phoenix II Relay, _without _Council approval."

"That's illegal." Kitch reminded the older man, who laughed.

"No more illegal than you working for the goddamned terrorists."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow.

"Don't give me that look, boy." He countered. "I'm not busting your chops here. We did what you did: we did what we had to do."

"Which was..."

"Wayland, in short, acts as a fallback zone in the event the Alliance ever gets into a war we can't win. In the event that we face total defeat, all Alliance Forces will abandon Earth and Arcturus Station and rally here."

"A final bastion should we get into a situation we can't get out of."

"We have a sizable fleet that stays here at all times, with a smaller fleet that performs sorties throughout this sector of space."

"We didn't see any capital ships during our approach." Jacob answered. "Why not?"

"Our fleet is currently escorting a convoy of cargo haulers from the mines on the system's outer two planets. With the added resources we're able to quadruple our output of ships here."

"So Wayland not only acts as a final bastion but also a springboard for a surprise attack against enemies attacking Alliance space."

"Admiral St. John is in charge of the Wayland Fleet." General Shepard explained. "He was preparing to give the recall order to send our fleet to help in the defense of Earth when Admiral Anderson sent word that no additional Alliance forces were to approach Earth."

"Last I heard you were in command of the marines at Arcturus Station." Kitch said. "When'd they deploy you here?"

"'Bout a year ago." He answered. "We have approximately one hundred and twelve thousand marines dirtside right now, ready for deployment the moment they're needed."

"Service Chief Jennings," Miranda addressed. "How long do you estimate it taking to make the _Normandy _fully combat operational?"

"A week, maybe two, give or take a couple of days."

"Impossible." She answered. "It'll take that long just to-"

"All other Alliance jobs here have been put on hold." General Shepard explained. "As of now, this planet's sole purpose is to get that boat of yours back to full combat readiness."

"Yep," Jennings added. "All resources we got are being focused on the _Normandy_. We got ten thousand crew workers on standby to get working."

"He may be a pain in the ass, but if Jennings says the _Normandy _will be ready for combat within a couple of weeks, you can bet your ass it will be."

Behind the General the blast door opened once more, Ashley now approaching them, clad in a tight-fitting black uniform that matched her grown-out black hair.

"Skipper, the Council's just contact the _Okinawa; _we're preparing to deploy now."

"What's happened?"

"The Salarians have requested help at Sur'Kesh."

"Sur'Kesh is Salarian homeworld." Mordin blurted. "If they've asked for outside assistance then situation must be dire. Natural Disaster. Possible, but not likely. Doesn't require Spectre attention. Disaster of different kind. Attack by outside forces likely."

"Cerberus." Ashley explained. "An entire Cerberus armada is invading the planet."

"Does anyone know why?" The younger Shepard asked, frowning as he made sense of this news.

"The Citadel says the Salarians were studying a fertile female Krogan who seems to have outgrown the genophage."

"Yes," Shepard breathed. "The Illusive Man would certainly see a fertile Krogan capable of curing the genophage as a threat to Humanity."

"I was wondering if I could borrow Dr. Solus for this mission." Ashley continued. "Admiral Anderson says his name was on your list of non-human crew, and the Council says he had a hand in the genophage."

"Hmm. DNA evolution to grow past genophage is unheard of. Much riding on this female Krogan. She may be nature's answer for the genophage. Requires much study. Obliged to assist. Yes. Major Shepard, do you mind?"

"Not at all, Doctor." Shepard answered. "Perhaps, however, you should take Grunt with you."

"Grunt?" Ashley asked.

"A tank-bred, perfect Krogan that sees me as his battlemaster." Shepard explained. "He recently joined Clan Urdnot." He continued, activating his omni-tool. "EDI, have Grunt meet me outside the _Normandy's _main airlock, and tell him to come armed."

"_Armed, Major?"_

"That's right, EDI."

"_Affirmative, Major. He's en route now."_

"Copy that, EDI."

"Why do you want me to take a Krogan with me?" Ashley asked.

"Logical move." Mordin explained. "Female Krogan likely to be frightened. A frightened Krogan being attacked for being cure to genophage would not be an easy target for rescue. A second Krogan would calm her down, make her more cooperative. Yes, logical move."

"He's right." Shepard agreed. "With Grunt alongside you you're less likely to be put into a situation like me and Wrex were on Virmire."

"Battlemaster," Grunt said from behind them, and turning around the perfect Krogan was approaching the group, shotgun in hand and ready for combat. "The AI said you wished me to arm myself."

"Grunt," Shepard explained quickly. "There's a female Krogan being pinned down by Cerberus forces on Sur'Kesh. I want you to go with Ashley and Mordin to retrieve her."

"If she is weak then she would make a poor mate for me. I can find better females on Tuchanka. And this one," He added, sniffing as he turned towards Ashley. "Reeks of weakness."

"This female Krogan is fertile and completely immune to the genophage. Do you understand what that means, Grunt?" Shepard asked. "It means she may be the cure to the genophage. Imagine the honor and glory you'd be bringing Clan Urdnot by rescuing her from the Cerberus attack."

"Hmph. Her enemies are still not as powerful as yours, battlemaster-"

"They're more powerful than sitting around here with nothing to do." Shepard corrected. "And her enemies are our enemies, too: we're all on the same team here."

"I will accompany the weak female and Salarian because you order me to, battlemaster, not because I find a challenge in mere Humans."

"Better than nothing." Garrus muttered.

"Dr. Solus, umm...Grunt..." The Krogan growled as he pushed passed Ashley. We must be going: The Council described the situation at Sur'Kesh as critical."

Shepard left the rest of his crew behind in silence as he walked with Ashley to the blast doors.

"I need a favor, Ash."

"Sir?"

"If you find any information on Cerberus, particularly someone called The Illusive Man, pass it along to me instead of the Alliance or the Council."

"Are you trying to protect Cerberus-"

"Hardly." Shepard answered, keeping his voice low enough so no one else would hear what he was saying. "I just want to be the one that arrests him."

"I see."

"Also, take care of Grunt and Mordin, will you?"

"You have, my word, skipper." She responded. "I...um..."

"Something on your mind, Ash?"

"Can I make a confession?"

"Sure?"

"I'm nervous as hell. This is my first official assignment as a Spectre-"

"Nervous?" Shepard mocked a scoff. "Why would you be nervous? You're only going up against a Cerberus armada with a tank-bred, trigger-happy, unpredictable, violent Krogan and a Salarian who loves to perform Gilbert and Sullivan at your back. What's to be nervous about?"

"And Tali still puts up with you?" Ashley asked, laughing. "I thought this was the part where you give me one of your famous motivational speeches to boost my moral."

Hmm." Shepard said, thinking for a moment...and then he had it. "Now that you mention it, I do have one word of advice."

"You're not going to pull a Joker and tell me not to die, are you?"

"Hardly." Shepard laughed. "This has been passed down in my family from generation to generation, since before electricity was even a dream."

"Oh goody."

"We're soldiers, you and I." Shepard said. "It's been who we are since the day we were born, and it's who we'll be when we die. To be a good soldier you must love the army; to be a good commander you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love. We do not fear our own death, you and I, but there comes a time...we are never quite prepared for so many to die. Oh, we do expect the occasional empty chair, a salute to fallen comrades; we are prepared to lose some of us, but we are never prepared to loose _all _of us, and there is the great trap; when you attack you must hold nothing back, you must commit yourself totally…"

"Wow," Ashley muttered. "Talk about your pep talk."

"Be yourself, Ash." Shepard finished. "Be the soldier I know you to be, and Cerberus won't stand a chance."

"Thanks, skipper." Ashley said, offering a salute to him, one Shepard lazily returned. "I do feel better now."

"God speed, Lieutenant Williams."

He didn't know what had made him add that last part, it just seemed appropriate. Regardless, it got the biggest smile he'd ever seen from his former lover, who said simply "God speed you, skipper."

And then she wheeled around and was gone, following Mordin and Grunt through the blast doors and off to their new mission on Sur'Kesh. Shaking the worry settling in his gut, Shepard turned and walked back over to rejoin the rest of his comrades.

"Everything okay, Major?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah, it's fine." He answered. "I just asked her to send me any high-ranking intelligence on Cerberus she happens to find."

"You plan on going after the Illusive Man." Miranda made it sound like an accusation.

"Eventually, once the Reapers have been dealt with and we have the time to deal with him."

"Well, kid, let's get to work getting that boat of yours fixed." General Shepard broke in. "That fancy bucket of bolts won't do us much good grounded here."

It was luck that Shepard couldn't see the face behind Tali's violet visor at that particular moment, for if he had been able to see behind that visor he would have seen a face cloud over with fearful suspicion, a face that looked as though it had discovered its worst nightmare had come alive.

{**Location: **Cerberus Battleship _Avenger_}

Saul Underwood, Captain of the Cerberus battleship _Avenger_, had been watching as a mighty chunk of Sur'Kesh's northern hemisphere burned, the result of his massive bombardment, a strike that had ensured the Salarians would be able to respond with only a limited military force, nothing that the _Avenger _and the armada under her command wouldn't be able to handle.

At the moment, however, Underwood was no longer overseeing the neutralization of Salarian defenses, nor was he overseeing the ground operations designed to eliminate this fertile Krogan female. No, at the moment he was alone with the Illusive Man, waiting for the man's response to Underwood's news that Major Dennison and his commando team had failed to board the _Normandy _before the attack on Earth had begun.

"_It's just as well they didn't board during the battle." _Cerberus's enigmatic leader responded, taking a drag on the cigar in his mouth. _"Nothing short of an army would succeed while the _Normandy's _at battle stations."_

"No one knows where the _Normandy's _been sent to finish her repairs-"

"_I do." _The Illusive Man corrected. _"Alliance High Command has given the _Normandy _their most secure drydock on their most secure planet, where she will sit until repairs are complete."_

"The Great Mesa of Wayland."

"_Indeed. According to my sources within Alliance High Command, Shepard and his crew are being given their own hotel complex, where they will be quartered until the _Normandy's _fully combat ready."_

"With your permission, sir, I will dispatch one of our strike cruisers to recover Major Dennison and redeploy him to Wayland. I am assuming that our previous objectives still stand."

"_With one minor change." _The Illusive Man answered. _"I gave the order to execute his non-human crew in the hopes that he would realize we can strike at anyone he cares about at any time, whether they're with him or not."_

"You planned on using fear to control him."

"_Yes, that was my initial hopes. However, I've been thinking on the matter and I have been forced to conclude that this would only drive Shepard into a frenzy, making him come after me for revenge and nothing more."_

"Yes, sir." Underwood agreed. "Just from what I've heard of the coward, he doesn't give into fear."

"_Kill his non-human crew, but capture the Quarian, alive and unharmed. Contact me once you have her and I will give you further instructions, Captain Underwood."_

"Understood, sir." Underwood said, bringing up a salute as the Illusive Man's image disappeared. Turning around, Underwood then ordered a message to Major Dennison, informing him of the new plans.

As he turned back to regard the war-torn Salarian homeworld once more, however, Underwood felt a small pang of regret: part of him wished he could be there with Dennison, personally executing the traitorous Shepard's beloved non-human crew members, personally drag the screaming Quarian away from her mortified boyfriend.

Oh well, he told himself quietly as he continued directing the battle taking place below him, you can't have everything, now can you?

* * *

><p><strong>In advance, I would like to apologize for the sad fact that this chapter isn't as long as most of the others: it is the story's shortest chapter since Chapter Two and the third shortest over all.<strong>

**However, I hope that the facts gained from this chapter make up for the length. **

**I really don't know what made me go with Shepard's father as the commanding officer of the ground forces on Wayland...it just hit me about a week ago. Nothing I've read even mentions the man, so I figured this was something I could play with as I saw fit...so hopefully everyone likes what I did.**

**Also, I do plan on going into detail the action on Sur'Kesh and the rescue of the fertile female Krogan, but I have no idea at all what Sur'Kesh would look like, what its climate would be like, so on so forth, so if anybody has any ideas I'd be happy to hear them.**

**Also, according to the _Mass Effect _Wiki, the ranks of Admiral and Fleet Admiral have no counterpart for ground forces...General is the official ground counterpart to the naval rank of Rear Admiral. So, here's how I'll do it in this fic, taking a cue from U.S. military ranks.**

**Rear Admiral (Navy) = General (Marines)**

**Admiral (Navy) = Major General (Marines)**

**Fleet Admiral (Navy) = Lieutenant General (Marines)**

**So, hopefully no one has a problem...if you do then please, by all means, let me know where I went wrong at.**

**Oh, and before I forget, the line Shepard gave Ashley about Soldiering's trap came from the movie _Gettysburg, _based on the book _Killer Angels _by **ichael Shaara. **That line is taken almost word-for-word as spoken by the character General Robert E. Lee to General Longstreet following the (I believe) second day of battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA. So yeah, I thought it'd be kind of cool to throw that in there, and appropriate too, with a seasoned commander passing down advice to a newer commander about to have her first real taste of command...what do ya'll think...does it fit?**

**Anyway, I believe that's all I've got to say for this chapter. Until next time.**


	12. The Approaching Storm

**Okay, here it is, Chapter twelve, and the good news: it's longer than the last chapter! Yay! **

**No, I don't own _Mass Effect_, it belongs to Bioware...as always.**

**Now, before we continue, I would like to make one final statement here: I expand somewhat on the Pyronian culture in the latter part of the chapter. They Pyronian species, name structure, and language belongs to my good friend and co-writer of the _Apocalyptic Dawn series, _Randall Gibson, who gives me (usually) free reign of the storyline and characters, so on so forth, of which I am and will always be eternally grateful. Now, on with show...**

* * *

><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES BY<strong> Guardian Kitch**:**

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 012: The Approaching Storm<strong>_

{**2257; 10:57 p.m.**}

[**Location: **Auxiliary Systems Alliance Diplomatic Consulate}

(**Wayland - Gemini System - Phoenix Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

The shadowy figure worked furiously at the terminal, making sure her actions were silent as her gloved hands moved expertly to get her job done. Behind her the shower was running, meaning the room's one occupant was busy and did not know she was there.

Hacking into the consulate's mainframe, she effortlessly brought up a blueprint of the entire building up before her, followed by the location of the quarters belonging to each crew member of the _Normandy SR-2_. As her brain absorbed the data glowing before her, she highlighted the location of each room belonging to the nonhumans, noticing in the process that the ship's normal crew were spread out among the six floors that sported rooms and suits for guests, the lower-ranking men and woman taking up the lower floors while the higher-ranked crew occupied the higher floors, with Shepard's specialty team spread out among them in similar fashion.

Once done, she opened up an unsecured, text only line and waited for a response from her contact within the Cerberus Secret Service.

[**Ghost: **Download prepared?]

[Yes. Forwarding data now.]

[**Ghost: **Transfer complete. One klick out and inbound. ETA: Seven minutes]

[Copy. Out]

Smiling, she erased all evidence of her presence in the room and the terminal, deactivated it, and was gone as quickly as she came. Now, if everything went as planned, Shepard's alien relationship would soon be dead...

Major Vincent Dennison, Cerberus Secret Service, moved forward with seventeen men following closely behind him. They had landed at a refueling station not far from the compound that had been reserved for Major Shepard and the crew of the _Normandy SR-2_,and while their ship had refueled they had snuck off, now alone and behind enemy lines on a planet that only a select few people knew about. Part of him was, he would admit, curious about how they had slipped into such a restricted slice of space without being noticed, but he would also tell himself that his superiors likely had their ways, and it wasn't for him to question that.

The mass of men following him were quiet, silent with everything from their breathing to their walking. Dennison had expected a handful of misfits who had very little, if any, training, but he had been surprised. Like him, most of the men under his control were washouts from the Alliance military, having been discharged at various stages of their careers for a wide range of infractions, big and small. And, like him, they were ready to kill some aliens.

His father. grandfather, and great-grandfather had always spoken of how things were back in the days before mankind had discovered the Mass Relays, back before they had made contact with the Citadel races, and like little Vincent Dennison later on, they believed mankind had become too weak as far as the galactic stage was concerned.

His mother, he remembered, had shared those views, stating that aliens were an abomination before God, created by the Devil to lead more people away from the Almighty, and to prove her words it had recently been revealed that only 23.42 percent of Humans were still Christian, the rest having converted to any number of alien religions.

Now, Dennison reflected, he truly hated humans, hated them in the way that he wanted to kill every last one of them. Yes, he mused with a smile, he was being paid to kill the nonhuman crew of the _Normandy_, and to kidnap Shepard's Quarian girlfriend, a job he would have gladly done for free.

Major Kitch Shepard, however, was a different level of hatred all together. Humanity had been thrilled to have a human Spectre: it meant the Human race was getting its just rewards, one more step on the road to ruling a galaxy that was already theirs.

But, that thrilling sensation had soon turned to disappointment. He had taken on an Asari, Quarian, Turian, and Krogan as crew members, trusting them and even befriending them, the races who would stab Humanity in the back the first chance they got. When that _thing _had attacked the Citadel two years ago he sacrificed Human vessels and personnel to save the alien Citadel Council, the same Council that, even now, was pretending that _Sovereign _had been an oversized Geth ship, that same Council that would do whatever it took to keep the Human race under them, even if they did give Humanity a seat on the Council.

No, Dennison told himself. Shepard was a traitor to the Human race, and once the Illusive Man was done with Shepard then Dennison would personally see to it that the Spectre would get what he deserved.

Dennison stopped next to a thick old, heavily-grown tree, holding his hand, balled into a fist, up high above his head, silently ordering his men to stop where they were. He grabbed a small pair of binoculars from a pouch on the heavy utility belt that encircled his waist.

Looking through the advanced lenses the world around him took on a green-and-black life, and looking out across the clearing, beyond the line of trees that now sheltered him and his men, the commando Major was pleased to see that no guards stood watch over the front entrance of the diplomatic consulate that now housed the _Normandy's _crew.

"Sir?" One of his men, the twenty-nine year-old Lieutenant Simmons, addressed in a hushed voice.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Dennison answered, continuing his last-minute reconnaissance of the consulate.

"Is anything wrong?"

Before he could answer, however, his gaze swept over the building's east side, traveling up the side of the building until his eyes settled on the large balcony near the top floor.

Two men was standing up there, looking out across the landscape as they leaned out over the edge of the balcony, a posture that would make one think that the men were deep in thought. Reaching up with his right hand he pressed a button on the side of the device, allowing the lenses to zoom in and magnify what he was looking at...a smile suddenly appeared on his face, one he knew would be like a child opening a Christmas present to discover he'd gotten precisely what he'd wanted the most.

"Sir?" Lieutenant Simmons repeated, and shaking his head he returned the binoculars to their proper place.

"Nothing's wrong, Lieutenant." Dennison answered. "In fact, it's going better than I had hoped." He added, turning to address the rest of his men. "Make sure your suppressors are set: Shepard's up on the balcony with another human, meaning he's out of our way: as long as he doesn't find out we're here until we're done, this'll be a piece of cake. Stealth is now our main weapon. Anyone who blows our cover I will personally see that he is executed. Now, be quiet and follow me."

Still behind the tree line, Dennison led his commandos in silence as they moved around to the west side of the complex, making it impossible for Shepard to see them come up. Stopping just long enough to ensure that there was no one on the west side to see them, Dennison then led his men into the opening, charging at full speed to reach the building in as little time as possible.

Once they were at the building itself Dennison led his men around to the north side, stopping just short of the doors.

"Corporal Faulkner, flash grenade, now." He hissed, motioning the young commando forward. Wasting no time, Faulkner did as ordered, tossing the grenade into the room beyond while Dennison opened the door for him.

The young man spun around as Dennison followed suit, and a moment later he knew the grenade had gone off.

"Move, now, leave none of the guards or officials alive." Dennison ordered, and leading the charge he entered the lobby beyond.

Six Alliance marines, dressed for combat, and five other men, dressed in government uniforms, stood, eyes closed as they tried to shake off the effects of the flash grenade.

Pulling his pistol free of its holster, Dennison took aim and fired off the first shot, catching the only female guard right between her eyes. As she slid to the floor, the other commandos rushed in behind him, weapons drawn, and inside of ten seconds only they remained among the living.

"We're going to spilt up into teams of three: there are eight floors to this building, six with rooms, so each team will take one of the middle six floors: kill anything that's not human: am I understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Each man barked in unison, offering perfect salutes before they turned to do as instructed.

"Corporal Faulkner, Lieutenant Simmons, you're both with me." Dennison said a moment later as he poured over the data his undercover contact had sent to his omni-tool. "The Quarian's name is Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, and our orders are to take her alive."

"Why?" One of the commandos asked, earning an elbow to his ribs from his fellow.

"I apologize, Major." That commando said immediately. "Private Jones has always been too lax with authority."

"That's fine." Dennison answered. "Our Illusive boss wants us to capture the Quarian so that she can be used against Shepard and his crew."

"Why's she so important?" Private Jones asked.

"She's Shepard's girlfriend."

"Shepard's dating an alien?" Private Jones's apologetic comrade asked, taken aback. "He's a traitor to Humanity!"

"And he will be punished." Dennison said, moving to calm his men down. "At the moment, however, the powers that be want him left alive: we are only to kill humans if it is absolutely necessary, and under no circumstances are we to kill or even harm Shepard."

"Why?"

"Because, Private Jones, those are our orders." Dennison answered.

"Why is Shepard so damn important?" Jones pushed. "What could he possibly do that we can't?"

"I don't know." Dennison snapped. "And because it's none of my business Cerberus Command has decided not to enlighten me. It's none of my business, meaning it's none of _your _business: am I clear, Private?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

Dennison aimed his pistol at the man's chest, his finger tightening around the trigger.

"Care running that one by me again, _Private_?"

"Yes, _sir_." Jones corrected himself with a roll of his eyes.

"The Quarian is on the fifth floor, next door to the good Spectre himself. I am downloading the location of each nonhuman's quarters to your omni-tools. Again, with the exception of the Quarian, kill anything nonhuman. Once your floor is cleared of all nonhumans, rendezvous two klicks in the forest to the south. Any more," He paused, looking to Private Jones as he emphasized the last word of his sentence. "_Questions_?"

No one spoke. Dennison nodded his head. "Then move-"

A loud gunshot rang out, and Private Jones crashed to the floor, blood flooding out of a hole in the back of his head.

Spinning around Dennison and the rest of his men opened fire on the attacker, a government official standing behind the lobby's only other desk, but even as they began firing he ducked down behind the thick, steel desk, and seconds later his gun popped up, returning several more rounds of fire, though no more commandos fell.

Dennison charged forward and catapulted himself onto the desk, and looking down he emptied the remainder of his thermal clip into the top of the other man's skull.

"Move, now!" Dennison roared, heading towards one of two sets of stairs. "Shepard will have heard that!"

* * *

><p>Dressed in a simple, tan tunic, matching pants, and a pair of off-duty shoes, Major Kitch Shepard stood alone and silent, looking out across the landscape of Wayland, taking in his first night on this new planet, which, true to his father's words, was indeed a bastion of Humanity.<p>

Four giant, glowing white moons hung silently in the sky, two large and low while the other two hunger higher and small, further away from the planet than the other two. A cool, gentle breeze blew through his short, now-messy hair, sending small goosebumps up his arms, but he ignored it.

For the first time in over twenty-four hours, he had nothing to do. He had no friends or allies to rescue, no enemy to destroy, no planet to defend, no legal charges to dodge...with nothing to do he suddenly realized just how far he'd come in the past twenty-four hours and how tired he was.

Yet he couldn't sleep. He had tried: the rest of his crew had already gone there, leaving him alone and quiet with his thoughts: even Tali, despite all the anxiety over her resurfaced mother, was sound asleep.

He yawned, wishing his body would just go ahead and shut down like it wanted to...he suddenly found himself envying Grunt and Mordin, now en route to the Salarian homeworld of Sur'Kesh: at least they had a mission to accomplish, enemies to fight, so on so forth.

Looking up at the largest of the four moons, Shepard suddenly realized just how far they had to go before they would be ready to fight the Reapers, before they would be capable of _defeating _the Reapers.

They had defeated _Sovereign _and Saren two years ago at the Citadel, denying the Reapers their main point of entry into the Milky Way Galaxy. They had destroyed the Protheans-turned-Collectors, and a Human-Reaper hybrid with them, denying the Reapers one of their newest weapons.

All those actions had done, Shepard knew, was to infuriate the Reapers and strengthen their determination to achieve success as they had done countless times in the past. The Human race, through his actions, had gained the attention of an enemy far greater and a million times more deadly than any they had ever faced before.

He had little doubt that the Reapers would eventually find a path into the Milky Way: to think otherwise, Shepard told himself, would be the act of an utter fool. A majority of the galaxy's edge was still uncharted, unexplored, or untouched by sentient species, which left open the very real possibility that perhaps the Reapers had, during any number of their previous incursions, discovered an alternate path into the Milky Way Galaxy. It may be days, or weeks, perhaps months, or even years, but the Reapers would eventually find them, and then the greatest (and most horrible) war in galactic history would begin.

Yes, the Reapers had, until two years ago, claimed to be invincible, and even now, in the myths and legends that surrounded them, they _were _considered to be unstoppable. They had weapons and shields that still mystified scientists from ever species and race, and their sheer numbers alone could overwhelm and drown the galactic community.

However, there were far more galactic beings in the Milky Way than there were Reapers. Human, Turian, Asari, Salari, Krogan, Quarian, Hanar, Drell, hell, even the Vorcha, Batarians, and Geth...if all of these races were united against a common foe then, mathematically, the advantage would go to the Milky Way Galaxy.

Of course, Shepard mused, he had never been one for mathematical calculations, especially when combat was concerned. As his father had taught him at an early age, a smart general with ten men was worth a dumb general with a thousand men. Numbers and weapons alone only amounted to a small amount when it came to warfare: the real art of warfare, his father had gone on to lecture, lie in the tactics, strategies, cunning, and intelligence of the officers in charge.

"You've got your work cut out for you, Paragon."

The 'Paragon' title alone told Shepard who his guest was, and moments later Duran Dregan joined him, still donning his combat gear, minus, though, the helmet.

"What are you talking about, Duran?" Shepard asked, turning to gaze at the red-orange skin of his face...he could read nothing out of those dark, empty eyes.

"That Reaper at Earth was only a vanguard, a flanker, a scout, whatever you want to call him, it's really the same thing. There are more of them coming: sooner or later we will be overrun with his comrades."

"You have no idea." Shepard muttered, and while Duran cocked his head, looking at him with a mix of amusement and contempt, he said nothing for several moments.

"Like I said, you have your work cut out for you. You have to unite the galaxy, many species of which are natural-born enemies, while at the same time watching your back for Cerberus and thwarting any attempts the Reapers make to enter this galaxy before you're ready to deal with them."

"Don't forget your brother and that Reaper he was working with."

"Ha!" Duran laughed. "My brother's weak, stupid, and foolish. He will present no problem when we cross paths again, and that Reaper may be powerful, but it's alone and behind enemy lines: we can handle him when the time comes."

"Right now, the Illusive Man still sees me as the greatest chance to stop the Reapers, so I don't see him moving in stop me any time soon. I'm also confident he's got his eyes and ears out everywhere, ready for any sign of the Reapers entering this galaxy, and I'm sure we'll get the message when that happens. For now I believe I'm going to focus my resources into uniting the galaxy."

"Smart move, Paragon. Yeah, too bad it's easier done in words than in actions. The only way you're going to unite the galaxy into one cohesive force capable of standing up to a common enemy of this magnitude would be to institute a galactic government-"

"We already have a galactic government-"

"Not a _true _galactic government." Duran countered. "Officially, the galaxy is ruled by four races. The Asari are the politicians, the Salarians are the Intelligence, and the Turians and Humans are the military muscle: combined it's been enough to discourage any other races from bulking up against the Council. However, if the non-Council races were to unite, even temporarily, the Council would be in real trouble."

"You're talking about a government representing every known species in the galaxy."

"I assume you've thought of this before."

"I have." Shepard admitted. "I've thought about it several times, but each time it comes back to the same problem."

"Those who have gained power are afraid to lose it." Duran answered. Shepard nodded his head.

"You could say that, yeah." Shepard said. "The Council would never go for creating a Congress representing every species, every planet, in the galaxy, nor would they agree to giving every species a seat on the Council."

"Come on Paragon, I'm not stupid." Duran laughed. "I've done my research on you, and I know you've defied the Council before. Don't give them a choice in the matter."

"I _have _made one plan in that direction," Shepard confirmed, thinking hard now. "But it's tantamount to treason: I don't think I'll get lucky with this like I did earlier."

"Talk."

"I need to find an uncharted planet, somewhere on the galactic disk, somewhere on the very edges of the galaxy."

"Why?"

"I'm going to begin my negotiations with the Quarians and Geth as soon as the _Normandy _is combat ready. As I bring each major species into the fold, so-to-speak, I want them to have a place to mass their fleets in peace, without being discovered by Citadel-friendly forces."

"Let me guess: once done you're going to invade the Citadel and demand the Council's surrender."

"No." Shepard answered again. "I would gather the best political minds from each species and have them frame a constitution for a galactic government, and once done we'll present it to the Council: either they join us willingly or we leave the Citadel out to dry."

"Damn, Paragon, your intelligence is beginning to show. And yeah, this will be classified as treason by the Citadel Council: if they ever find out what you're planning they'll have you hunted down and killed."

"Like I had to do with Saren." Shepard added, noting the twist of irony.

"You could do this." Duran prodded. "You're a damn Paragon, as natural a leader as anyone I've ever met, Pyronian or otherwise. Following you is as natural to others as breathing."

"No." Shepard said with a shake of his head. "No matter how they've treated me in the past, no matter how much they've soiled me and my word, even during my death, I won't betray the Council-"

"Damn you, Paragon, I knew you were going to do this."

"Do what?"

"Choke on the hard choices."

"You're not the first person to tell me that." Shepard answered with a laugh. "But I will allow neither fear nor anger to compromise who I am. I haven't talked to the Council yet, not since the Battle of Earth: for all I know they've finally seen the truth and know now that I've been right-"

"Excuse me for not sharing your faith in the weak politicians. That thing that attacked the Citadel two years was a Reaper, and the only reason they're still alive is because you personally gave the order to save their cowardly backsides. If being present for _Sovereign's _attack didn't persuade them that the Reaper threat is real, then what in the Thirteen Hells of Pyria makes you think, even for a moment, that they'll be persuaded by the Reaper attack on Earth."

"Saren and the Geth weren't there this time-"

"But the Pyronian's Black Fleet was." Duran countered. "They blamed the actions of one Reaper on Saren and the Geth: today they will blame the actions of one Reaper on my brother and my people. Kakist is a _dou'cheta, _so I really don't care about him, but my people..."

Duran trailed off, turning to look away from Shepard.

"What about your people?" Shepard asked, his curiosity suddenly captured, as though there was something vital to that question just below the surface.

"Nothing-"

"It sure sounds like nothing." Shepard answered. "Tell me more about your people, Duran, now."

"Why should you care, _Human_?" Duran growled. "What business is it of yours?"

"You're a member of my crew now, Duran, which means, whether or not you like it, I am your commanding officer. I have let you aboard the _Normandy_, I am fighting to get you a full pardon as I promised, and I have trusted you with our lives several times already."

"Congratulations, you want an accommodation or something?"

"I want answers. You're a mystery, and for me to continue trusting you I need the answers to my question."

"What do you want me to say, Paragon?" Duran roared, spinning back around to face Shepard. "Do you want me to say that your beloved Council tries at least thrice a year to shut down the Mass Relay leading to our system because they're so afraid of us? Huh? Did you know we have to keep an active fleet on the other side of our system's Relay just so we don't become isolated forever? Do you want to hear how we chase off a dozen Salarian Special Forces teams every month? Wanna hear me go on and on about how the Citadel Council is so afraid of my people that we're considered enemies of the state simply for existing? Is that what you wanted to hear, _Human_? Do you feel better now knowing your people, a race that's still in its infancy on the galactic stage, is held in higher regards than my own people, the oldest race alive today, my people who are treated just this side of vermin? Well then, I guess congratulations are in order, _Major_, because you got your wish."

"I apologize, Duran." Shepard found himself answering. "If the Council truly is doing this-"

"You're calling me a liar?" He asked, his voice going low and deep, dangerously close to the edge.

"No." Shepard answered, stepping closer to his newest ally. "But I've not gotten where I am today by simply taking people's words on things, especially when I just met them. Every story has two sides, and I bet if we talked to the Council they'd give us some excuse as to why they've declared your people enemies of the state. That doesn't mean they're right, and if that turns out to be true then I will do all I can to fix it-"

"My people do not need your sympathies, Paragon, so save it." Duran barked. "We take care of our own."

"Where did you go before we left Earth?" Shepard asked suddenly, not knowing why he'd suddenly asked that question.

"It's none of your business."

"I think it is-"

"I _know _it isn't." Duran challenged, a wave of heat rolling off of his body, so hot that Shepard thought he might start sweating right there. "You've gotten all the answers you're going to get this century, Paragon. Thank your deity that you got that much. I trust only one other person in this universe, and I'm not the kind to team up with others, especially a _ver-gyn_; usually I kill them."

Shepard frowned. "Vergyn?"

"_Ver-gyn._" Duran corrected. "My people's word for an outsider. Let me make one thing clear, Paragon. You may be one of the greatest _ver-gyn_ warriors I've ever met, but you're still a Human. In my universe, there are three kinds of beings: me, assets, and liabilities. You're not me, and you're still alive, which makes you an asset. I will help you as long as it helps me meet my objectives. The moment you put me at odds with those objectives, you become a liability, much like my brother's become: you will share his fate, as will anyone else who gets in my way; are we clear, _Major_?"

"Is that a threat?" Shepard asked, his eyes narrowing.

"It's a warning." Duran corrected. "I will not hesitate to do what I must. If you help me and don't get in my way then we'll be fine, but if you stand in my way then I will do what I must."

"I will help you, Duran, as I have helped every member of my crew, whether it's big or small. However, if you endanger my crew or _our _mission then I will also do what I must, understood?"

Duran laughed. "You can't bring yourself to kill me: I'm one of your precious crew now-"

Shepard cut him off as he brought his heavy pistol to bear, the weapon suddenly cocked and locked, his finger holding tight around the trigger.

"Then act like it." Shepard ordered, allowing his willingness to kill the other man show in his eyes, the knowledge that he would not hesitate to pull the trigger if needed. Duran suddenly smiled, that anger and danger gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"Damn, Paragon, there just may be hope for you yet."

Gunshots suddenly rang out from down below, and instant Duran had a pistol in each hand as he and Shepard took off back into the consulate that now belonged solely to the crew of the _Normandy._

"Okay, _Major,_ since you're the big, bad commanding officer, what's your plan of battle?"

"We need to find out what's going on." Shepard answered, activating the consol for one of the three elevators at the end of the hall. "That shot sounded like it came from the lobby."

The elevator _dinged _as the door hissed open, and Shepard and Duran wasted no time in entering the lift and sending it flying back towards the ground level.

"If any enemy fleets had arrived they would have sounded an alarm by now: there's no way any fleet or any single ship could slip past the orbital stations above."

"My credits are on a commando strike team." Duran answered. "Don't know who, but if we've been caught off guard, in this scenario, I would bet my life on commandos."

"Why not use suppressors?" Shepard asked.

"Even commandos make mistakes. Not Pyronian commandos, of course, but then again, we're perfect like that."

"Arrogant much?" Shepard asked as the door hissed open with another _ding._

"Is it arrogance if I-we-can back it up?" Duran asked as the two spilled into the lobby. Shepard failed to answer as his eyes took in the carnage before him, unable to believe that this was really happening.

"None of the guards drew their weapons." Shepard said aloud, inspecting the closest body. "They had to have used a flash grenade, and they took them all out before their senses could come back."

"They missed one, then." Duran answered, peering up from behind one of the two steel desks. "This one had his weapon out, and he emptied the clip before someone put a round through the top of his skull."

Shepard walked over to where Duran was standing up, and true to the Pyronian's word, this government clerk had put up a fight...

"There." Shepard said suddenly, vaulting over the desk and running towards one of the fallen bodies. "He's not in an Alliance uniform."

As Duran joined him, Shepard rolled the body over onto its back, and immediately his eyes locked onto the insignia on the man's left breast, just above his heart, and as Shepard looked back up at Duran he knew the other man was thinking the same thing.

"Cerberus." They said in unison.

"Duran, take an elevator to the sixth floor; they make be going after Miranda."

"Your XO?"

"She was one of the Illusive Man's top lieutenants, until she decided to resign and follow me over staying with him."

"Where are you going?"

"If this is revenge for me pirating the _Normandy _then the Illusive Man's going to hit me where it hurts."

"Go save your _varnad_, Paragon, I'll go take care of the XO."

Shepard ran for the stairs at full speed, but as he reached the bottom step he stopped and turned back around just in time to catch Duran entering the elevator.

"Hey, Duran!"

"Forget something, Paragon?" Duran asked, sticking his head back out the elevator.

"Good hunting."

Duran laughed. "Any hunting I do is always good, Paragon. Now, go save your _varnad._"

Shepard turned and sped up the stairs, taking them to at a time as he offered every prayer he could think of that Tali was safe, that she was alright, that she had not been caught asleep...

He had known the Illusive Man would seek payment for what he'd done, but he would never have expected such a brazen assassination attempt, not on such a secure planet...

'_You fool.' _He reprimanded himself. _'You, of all people, should know what Cerberus is capable of! This is the organization that think Thorian and Rachni make good pets, the group that tortures people just for the fun of it!'_

Shepard suddenly found heat rising to his face from embarrassment as he realized he'd made one of the greatest rookie mistakes in existence: he'd underestimated a foe he knew well, and now those closest to him were about to pay the price.

"EDI, it's Shepard. Come in EDI."

"_I am here, Major Shepard."_

"Wake everyone up now, EDI, sound General Quarters."

"_Major, you are aware that none of the crew are onboard the _Normandy_, right?"_

"I'm aware of that EDI, but Cerberus Commandos have infiltrated the consulate. Wake them, now!"

"_Affirmative, Major, I am sending out alarms now."_

"Notify Alliance High Command, EDI: they have bodies already on the ground." Shepard ordered as alarm klaxons began to blare throughout the consulate.

"_Friendlies or hostile?"_

"Both."

"_Copy that, Major Shepard. Alliance High Command is being notified as we speak."_

No sooner had EDI finished speaking than the sound of gunshots sounded out from all around him, and a moment later Shepard passed the second floor, forcing him to speed his feet up, the outer edges of panic setting in.

He passed the third floor as more gunfire echoed out around him, but this time he could hear the faint blast of a shotgun, and it was coming from above...

"Tali." Shepard breathed, and a moment later he was on the fifth floor, but he never slowed down as he sped down the hallway, beautiful, plush violet carpet covering the floor with dim, peaceful light panels lining the wall.

At the end of the hall Shepard veered right, his pistol coming up...he stopped when he noticed a discarded shotgun at his feet.

"Tali, no." Shepard moaned, but he was already moving once more, hauling ass for the other end of the hallway as Tali's screams and shouts suddenly filled the entire floor.

By the time he reached the end of the hallway he was moving so fast that he couldn't do anything but collide with the wall of the adjoining hallway. Luckily, he had just enough time to prepare for impact, and even as he made contact he was pushing himself away from the wall, and even better was the fact that of the three humans holding Tali against her will, none of them saw or heard him rushing closer. Raising his gun Shepard took aim at the man furthest back from Tali, making sure that none of his shots hit her, and he opened fire.

Four shots collided into the man's upper back, causing him to drop to the floor while the other two turned, pressing their backs against the wall around the elevator shaft, guns lowered towards Shepard, Tali stuck between them as a live shield.

"It's the traitor to Humanity." The man holding Tali said. "Hot damn, Simmons, today must be our lucky day."

"Let's slot him-"

"No, Simmons, we're not going to slot him; the boss has plans for this piece of filth. Luckily, however, he has no such reservations about this alien garbage here."

Shepard raised his pistol slightly, his grip tightening...

"Don't be stupid, cowboy." Tali's captor said, aiming his pistol to the side of Tali's head. "The moment you open fire, your girlfriend here is dead."

"I'll trade you." Shepard said, lowering his gun to his side.

"Oh, you'll trade us?" Simmons asked. "You hear that, Major? He wants to trade us-"

"Shepard, no, I'm not worth-"

"She's right, _Shepard_: she's not worth it. Your surrender doesn't fit into the plans our boss has for you."

"_Paragon, it's Duran: your XO's safe, but if I knew she was such a bitch I'd have left her there."_

"Thanks Duran-" Shepard spoke into his omni-tool, but Duran cut him off.

"_It's weird though: they're targeting only the nonhuman members of the crew. The Drell and Asari are both safe here, but I don't know about the others."_

"_Kasumi to Shep."_

"Yeah Kasumi, what've you got?"

"_I have Garrus and Legion with me: they're both safe, but none of the human crew was attacked."_

"Copy that, Kasumi. I've got two Cerberus commandos on the fifth floor, and they have Tali."

"_Don't worry Shep, we're on our way."_

"Let's make one thing very clear, Shepard," Major said. "If anyone tries to stop us, she's dead-"

"A fate you'll share."

"That may be, but she'll be just as dead." He countered as the elevator opened with a low _ding. _"Do you want to be the cause of her death?" He finished, stepping backwards into the elevator. The elevator's doors closed, cutting Shepard off from Tali, and growling he turned, heading back for the stairs.

"Everyone get to lobby, A-SAP!" Shepard ordered through his omni-tool. "They've got Tali and they're going to use her as a hostage to escape."

He veered down the hallway connected to the stairwell and flew through the door back into the stairwell, taking the steps five and six at a time, ignoring the pain and fatigue that shot through his body...he could not let them take Tali, not now, not-

As he reached the ground level he heard three gunshots ring out, and as his heart dropped he entered the lobby, his pistol up and ready.

To his surprise, however, he discovered the fighting was over. Tali was standing with Ashley's younger sister, who was standing over Simmons's dead body and the injured form of Major.

"Amy?" Shepard asked. "How'd you get a drop on them like that."

"I got your message." She explained. "I used my bedclothes to make a rope to slide me down three stories to the ground, then I snuck around and waited for the perfect shot."

"Sound like you've got experience in that." Shepard teased, pulling Tali towards him. Amy laughed.

"Major, sir, you've been talking to my sister again, haven't you?"

The door exploded open at that moment, and looking up from Tali's visored face Shepard's mouth dropped as he realized the newcomer was his own father.

"What in the blazes happened here?" The older man asked, looking from Shepard and Tali to the injured Major in the floor. "Oh-ho!" He boomed, the sidearm in his hands moving to cover the injured Major. "We've been looking for you, Major Dennison."

"You know him?"

"Sure as hell do." The general answered. "This here is Major Vincent Dennison. He was dishonorably discharged when he refused to accept a Turian as part of his command on one of our new colonies. We also have evidence suggesting he may be involved with an underground alien slavery ring based on Earth. He disappeared, though, before we could arrest him. Major Shepard, have you alerted Alliance High Command?"

"Nearly five minutes ago." Shepard answered. "I ordered the _Normandy's _AI, EDI, to alert Alliance command that we were under attack by Cerberus operatives."

"Ah yes, now I recognize the insignia."

"Wait a minute." Tali said suddenly. "General Shepard, you weren't sent because of our distress signal?"

"'Fraid not, little lady." Matthew Shepard answered. "I was at home speaking with the Citadel Council about _Major _Shepard's pardon-and-commission demand."

"It's been approved already?" Shepard asked, suddenly feeling much more better about the night.

"Not fully. We need to talk in private, son."

Shepard did not like the sound of his father's tone, but he nodded and followed the man outside while Tali, Garrus, and Duran took over guarding the wounded Dennison.

"The Council," His father began without preamble. "Has agreed to fully pardon almost everyone on your list, with the exception of one."

"Duran, right?"

"The Pyronian? No, not him. They claim he killed some C-Sec cops on the Citadel, but they'll pardon him, on the condition he swings by the Citadel and give them a statement about _why _he saw fight to fight his way free of the Citadel."

"Jack?"

"Alias Subject Zero? No, they've pardoned her too, citing her...umm..._difficult _upbringing and past. It's one of your regular crewmen, one who, according to the report's you've filed with the Council, came aboard with Cerberus."

"Who?"

"Here's the file." The older man said. "The Council has left this one in the Alliance's hand. Sebastian wants her arrested and investigated by the Judge Advocate General's office, but Hackett and Anderson have both agreed to let you investigate it as you see fit."

"It's marked as a cold case."

"You could say that." Matthew answered. "The Council has agreed with Hackett and Anderson. They'll let you investigate it, and if you can prove either innocence or extenuating circumstances, they'll issue a pardon. If you find guilt, however, on any of the charges, then you'll be expected to make the arrest."

Shepard opened the file, and when he saw the crewmember's name his heart nearly jumped out his throat as he fought to keep hold of the packet of data.

"You're sure about this?"

"I'm sorry, son, but there's no chance of a mistake on this one. Do I need to assign JAG-"

"No, dad, I can handle it, but still, this can't be true."

"Then prove it, and I mean that: _prove _it. One way or another, guilt or innocence, _prove _it."

"I will."

"I trust your judgment, Kitch." The man said, clapping his son on the shoulder. "Now, I'm going home, gonna get a nice, hot soak, and get some shut eye. Oh, and before I forget, your mother's coming into port for a couple of days: she should be here by noon local time tomorrow. She's already demanded I have an early day so we can all have a nice, big dinner together."

"Yes, sir," Shepard said, a small smile on his face. "I'll be there."

"If I were you I'd bring your lady friend there too."

"Lady friend?"

"The Quarian."

"You mean Tali."

"I do. If your mother finds out you've got a girlfriend and she doesn't get to meet her we'll both be scrambling for a new station on the other side of the galaxy."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"She's not?" The other man frowned. "Boy, I know I raised you better than to lead a woman, of any species, on-"

"I'm not leading her on, it's just...it's complicated."

The general laughed. "Yeah, I tried using that one on your mom once."

"What happened?"

"You came along."

The sound of a laugh being chocked back made Shepard turn around, and suddenly Tali was there next to him.

"That was not the right part of a conversation to enter on."

"You don't want to know." the younger man said, giving his father a nod of his head.

"I'll bring her, don't worry."

"Bring who?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Where?"

"Dinner."

"Where?"

"With my parents."

"Oh..."

"Don't let him scare you, lil' lady." The general ordered. "And don't be afraid to put him in his place." He added, slapping his son in the back of the head as though he were demonstrating how to do it properly.

"You kids settle down: we've got enough bodies on the ground for one night." The older man said as he turned and headed back for his private shuttle.

"What's that?" Tali asked, pointing to the data packet in Shepard's hand.

"I don't know, not yet." He answered as they walked back into the consulate side-by-side. "Miranda!"

"Major?" She asked, rushing forward to join him and Tali.

"The Council has agreed to all pardons minus one."

"Who?"

Shepard opened the data packet and showed it to Miranda.

"This can't be true, Major." The XO said. "I personally checked the background of every crew member that came aboard."

"It wouldn't be the first time the Illusive Man's lied to cover something up." Tali growled.

"I've been assigned to investigate it and prove it one way or the other, whether the truth is guilt or innocence." Shepard answered. "So let's try and do this by the book."

"You want me to go get h-"

"Not tonight. Let's finish this first, and then get some sleep: we'll get started on this in the morning."

"When do you want me to bring h-"

"Dawn, tomorrow."

Shepard sighed as Miranda nodded her head: even now, with Earth safe and the _Normandy _undergoing repair, he was being thrust from one conflict to another, and it seemed as though they may be stacking up against him...he looked back at the data packet, wondering how such a person could be accused of such horrible things. It just didn't make sense, though, if he were honest with himself, the past day didn't make all that much sense to him.

He heard a rumble of thunder, and looking out the consulate's front entrance he could see thick, heavy clouds begin covering up the four moons like a blanket being pulled over a sleeping child for the night. He sighed as he heard another clap of thunder: would he and his crew be able to whether the approaching storm? He knew the storm was coming, he knew it as surely as he knew that, eventually, the Reapers would find a path into the Milky Way Galaxy.

He had always been confident in his abilities and the abilities of his ship and crew, but for the first time he honestly doubted their chances of standing through the storm that was now coming their way.

* * *

><p><strong><span>GLOSSARY:<span>**

**Pyronian Vocabulary:**

_dou'cheta: _Ultimate curse in the Pyronian language and/or culture, akin to calling someone a weak, traitorous coward.

_Ver-gyn:_ Outsider (can be used as an insult or as stating a fact)

_Varnad: _Girlfriend, wife, soulmate

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><p><strong>And there it is, the end of the 12th chapter. So, what did everyone think?<strong>

**Just curious, but does anyone have any possible ideas as to who the man or woman Shepard now has to investigate is? Anyone have clues they'd like to point out? Let's see who gets it right...just leave your guess with your review for this chapter...easy as cake, huh?**

**And don't worry, the Illusive Man's plans are beginning to, ever so-slowly, come into the light for we readers. ^_^**

**And *gasp* Tali has to eat dinner with *gasp again* Shepard's mom and dad! RUN! Hmm...how's dinner going to go over with the Humans, especially considering a Quarian is a dextro-protein species, like the Turians? Oooh, this should be interesting. **

**Oh, and in regards to the review of Chapter 11 left by a Random Reader. I know the ranks of the real-life U.S. Armed Services, all five branches. However, for the sake of this fanfiction, I am molding that in with Systems Alliance Rank information I pulled from the Mass Effect Wiki. According to the Mass Effect Wiki, the navy's flag officers, which would be Admirals, it goes in this order: Rear Admiral Admiral Fleet Admiral, and for the Marines or ground forces, it goes General Blank Blank. Admiral and Fleet Admiral, the two top Navy ranks in the Systems Alliance, have no "General" counterpart, so loosely using the ranks of the United States Marine Corps, I've changed the Systems Alliance ranks for the purpose of this fic to the following:**

Rear Admiral (Systems Alliance Navy) = General (Systems Alliance Marines)

Vice-Admiral (Systems Alliance Navy) = Brigadier General (System Alliance Marines)

Admiral (Systems Alliance Navy) = Major General (Systems Alliance Marines)

Fleet Admiral (Systems Alliance Navy) = Lieutenant General (Systems Alliance Marines)

**Yes, I know, I changed it up some since the last chapter, and it sends Shepard's father up a rank, but hey, it still works out, right? Don't worry, this is my final change to the Alliance ranks, pending overt reader wishes.**

**And yes, for those of you wondering following my quote from the movie _Gettysburg_, I am a major (if unofficial) history buff: I love to study history, and my specialties are the American Civil War and World War Two: the Pacific Theatre.**

**Well, I believe that's all I have to say in regards for this chapter. I want to thank everyone who reviewed, and everyone who will review in the future. Until next time...**


	13. Hit List

**Yay! I did it! I got the next chapter done and up before Thanksgiving! Woo-hoo! Boo-yah Baby! Hot damn I did it!**

**Okay, now that I have that out of my system...again...I would like to remind all of you wonderful readers that I do not own _Mass Effect_, it does, to this day, remain the wonderful property of BioWare. My best friend, Randall Gibson, owns the Pyronian people, name, traits, and characters, as he lets me use them for our joint ficitional work, _Apocalyptic Dawn: Armageddon _and coming sequels.**

**Also, I am surprised by the number of people who guessed correctly as to the identity of the Cerberus operative who has NOT been pardoned. Here is the Wall of Honor: **Kaiser Spartan (who gets mucho points for being the only one to say I'd revealed her gender), Raidster, green123438, darkerego, Albericus, **and last but not least, **doctor anthony. **Yes, it is Miss Chambers: always said she was too innocent to be caught up with Cerberus. Now, on with the show!**

**Oh, before I forget there is a warning I need to give everyone. Kelly's reason for joining Cerberus is highly sensitive, and not something I would let a child under the age of at least thirteen read about. So, yeah...ye have been warned.**

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><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES BY<strong>Guardian Kitch**:**

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 013: Hit List<strong>_

{**0582; 5:82 a.m.**}

[**Location: **Auxiliary Systems Alliance Diplomatic Consulate}

(**Wayland - Gemini System - Phoenix Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

Dressed in one of his new alliance uniforms, now complete with a holstered pistol at his hip, Major Kitch Shepard walked briskly down the hallway, side-by-side with newly commissioned Lieutenant-Commander Miranda Lawson, who showed none of the discomfort her new commission was causing her.

Almost an hour earlier Shepard had approached his XO with news that, should she accept, the Alliance had given her the commission of Lieutenant-Commander, with all duties, privileges, and pay that went with it. He had been as surprised as she was that the Alliance had given her such a high-ranking title, but, as his father had pointed out, she was the Executive Officer of the _Normandy_, the woman who would take over command should something ever happen to the younger Shepard: it was only fitting that she get such a rank, one that would give her the proper authority in the event she was called upon to take control of the ship.

Of course, Miranda hadn't been as happy about this promotion: if anything she'd been reluctant with trusting the Alliance, as had a majority of the _Normandy's _crew, most of whom had joined Cerberus following unhappy partings from the very Alliance they were now being asked to rejoin.

Finally, in a desperate attempt to bridge barriers and heal old wounds, Shepard had given his word to each and every member of his crew that, should they take the ranks offered, he would die to make sure they were treated properly, that he would protect them where the Alliance couldn't, and, in Miranda Lawson's case, he had explained to her how hard it would be for her, with no official commission, to command the newly-designated _SSV_ _Normandy _in the event something happened to him Deep down, Shepard knew it was this reason alone that had caused Miranda to agree with taking her new commission, and, like everything else his XO did, she carried out the position of her new rank with total perfection.

Now, with the rest of the _Normandy's _crew officially commissioned by the Systems Alliance, he and Miranda were proceeding with their next piece of business, just the next on the long To-Do-List of getting the _Normandy _back to full combat readiness. Of every member of their crew, only one had not been given the requested pardon and commission. Duran's first thoughts had been Duran, Jack, or perhaps even Garrus, but never, not as long as he lived, no matter what atrocities he ever witnessed, would he have expected the one person to be declared "too criminal" to be pardoned and commissioned be whose picture his father had handed him last night following the commando strike against the _Normandy's _crew...he'd have sooner pegged Zaeed as a loving, kind father-of-three who let his daughters paint his fingernails...his brain had nearly failed to comprehend what he'd been reading.

And yet, no matter how hard it was for him to believe, deep down he'd always known there was more to the target of his next investigation than met the eyes...as if picking up on his thoughts, Miranda began to speak.

"I'm sure she has a perfectly good explanation, Major." His XO began. "She's not the kind of woman these files suggest she is."

"I agree, Miranda, but if she's guilty of just a quarter of what those files accuse her of...I want to be objective, and I will do my best to remain objective, but some of these crimes are gruesome, even with all I've seen throughout my life. It tries to take me from seeing her as the woman I've known since my resurrection and see her instead as a monster that needs to be destroyed." He paused. "She came aboard as a member of Cerberus with the rest of the crew: what do you know about her?"

"Her parents divorced shortly after she was born." Miranda answered. "A family judicial justice gave her father custody of her when she was two, and she lived with her father until his disappearance, shortly after her twelfth birthday. After failing to find her father the courts awarded her mother custody of her."

"That's around the time these crimes begin. However, the majority of them don't take place until five or six years after her mother regained custody of her. Why such a long period of time?"

"Perhaps a way to draw suspicion away from her." Miranda answered. "Or perhaps she's not the one responsible."

"I hope it's the latter." Shepard responded.

"A little over five years later, her mother had a heart attack, and her sister took custody of her, moving her from the Citadel back to Earth." Miranda finished as they came to stop at the door they'd been looking for. Shepard reached forward and knocked heavily on the door, reduced now to waiting for a response from the woman inside.

The door opened immediately, and standing in the doorway, dressed head-to-toe in a Cerberus uniform that was now missing the Cerberus logo, ready for a full day at work, was none other than the _Normandy's _Yeoman and resident psychiatrist, Kelly Chambers.

"M-Major Shepard." She stammered. "Officer Lawson, I didn't expect-"

"We need to talk, Kelly: can we come in?"

"Of course, sir, help yourself." She replied, opening the door wider so that they could both come in.

"It's _Commander _Lawson, now." Miranda corrected as she followed Shepard into the private suite that Kelly, like all the others aboard the _Normandy, _had been assigned following their arrival.

"I'm sorry, Commander, I was unaware you'd been given a commission. Congratulations-"

"Kelly," Shepard interrupted. "What happened to your father?"

"Sir?" She asked, her body going frigid as she closed the door behind them.

"Your father disappeared shortly after you turned twelve, didn't he?"

"Uh-I-yes, sir, he did." She responded, and immediately Shepard could tell that his question had taken Kelly off guard. "Major," She asked quickly. "What's this about?"

Shepard held up the file his father had given him last night. "Alliance High Command believes you are responsible for a list of cold-cases that still haven't been solved, including making your father disappear, and because of that they refuse to pardon you and offer you a commission as they've done with the rest of the crew."

"I-"

"We want to help you, Kelly." Shepard interrupted. "But the evidence is pretty convincing. Your father was last seen, by you, at home, the night he disappeared. There was no forced entry into the home, no evidence he ever left the home, and yet he just disappeared, as though he'd vanished into thin air."

"I don't-"

"Kelly," Miranda took over, and Shepard was astonished by his XO's voice. Instead of the calm, in-control woman Miranda usually portrayed herself to be, she was being kind, considerate, like a big sister trying to console her younger sibling...while Shepard had seen this side of his XO a few times in the past, he'd never expected to see it here, now, in the middle of the investigation. "We want to help you: if you had a good reason for doing something to him, whatever it is you did to him, then we'll do whatever it takes to get you a pardon, and if you're innocent, we'll make sure you're exonerated." "But," Shepard answered. "We'll only be able to help you if you give us all the facts."

Kelly nodded her head in understanding. "I-I haven't spoken about this since I was a girl. You know, many people choose their careers because of an event that marked their lives. Some become doctors because they got sick and there was a doctor there who, no matter the odds, never gave up on them, who brought them back from the brink when all hope was gone. Some beings become soldiers either because they lived as a soldier's child, following one or both parents from one duty station to the other or because they were bullied all their lives and saw soldiering as a way to never be that weak and helpless again, and others become law enforcement officers because a great crime was committed against them, or they lost someone close to them because of a criminal act, and they want to keep others from going through the same thing, or they want criminals to pay for what they do."

"You became a psychiatrist." Miranda observed. Kelly nodded her head.

"Why?" Shepard asked. "What event marked your life in such a way that you decided to become a shrink?"

"Please, Major Shepard, Commander Lawson, this must remain between us."

"We will," Shepard answered. "Do all we can to keep this from everyone else aboard the _Normandy_, but we have to either prove you innocent, prove you had just cause to commit these crimes and get you pardoned, or arrest you. Kelly, I do not want to arrest you; please, don't make me do it."

The young woman nodded her head. "My father was a monster." She began, and suddenly the bubbly, kind, energetic young woman Shepard had known was gone, replaced by an angry, dark, murderous twin...the look in Kelly's eyes were enough to send chills down Shepard's spine.

"How so?" He asked, pleased that his voice still sounded calm and collected.

"For as long as I could remember my life with him was cold, dark, and detached. He never showed me any kindness, never said 'I love you', nothing. He...he abused me."

"How so?" Miranda asked, and while Shepard had the urge to kick his XO he refused the temptation: he was sure she knew what she was doing.

"Physically and sexually." She answered. "He'd beat me every chance he got, and then he'd make me bathe, several times each day. He would sit with me while I bathed, and he'd make me watch while he..." Kelly stopped and gasped, as though desperate for fresh air. "While he pleased himself."

"How long did this go on?" Miranda asked.

"It seemed like forever." Kelly answered. "When I turned six he began "loaning" me to his friends. Sometimes they'd come join me in bed, and sometimes they would take me to their apartments to spend the night, but regardless, they all did the same thing to me."

"Did it escalate further?"

She nodded her head. "I was an early bloomer: I hit puberty at nine, and by ten the changes in my body were fully obvious. He began filming it and selling the videos for a profit: he made a fortune on the black market."

"Did you ever try to stop him?" Miranda asked, and again Shepard felt like giving his XO a good kick in the leg: rule number one when dealing with victims of crime, Shepard knew, was to never make the victim feel like what happened was their fault. However, he still trusted Miranda knew what she was doing.

"Once." Kelly answered. "I threatened to call the police: he threatened to kill me and anyone I cared about. I was eight at the time."

Shepard nodded his head, encouraging her to keep on going.

"On my twelfth birthday he came in that night, claiming to have a present for me: I was accustomed to his presents by now, so I knew what it would be...or so I thought."

Shepard couldn't help himself. "What was it?"

"My older brother." She answered simply. "I thought perhaps he'd discovered the truth and was there to get me out, but-"

"He wasn't." Shepard answered. Kelly nodded her head, and now tears had begun to fall down her cheeks, and no longer did she look so angry and dark, but instead she seemed to be a scared little girl in desperate need of someone to take care of her.

"He made me dress up in my school uniform and then he raped me, worse than anything I'd ever been through in my entire life. He enjoyed it, and he did it time and time again: the video session went well into the morning hours."

"What happened then?" Shepard asked.

"My father left, didn't mention where he was going. He had my brother watch over me and make sure I stayed there. I asked him how he could be so evil, and he said 'Sex is good for everybody.'. I asked him how he could do it to his own little sister, he said 'Sex is sex, period.'. There was no love in his face, no kindness, just a primal lust, as though he'd become an animal. I snapped."

"You killed him." Miranda observed. Kelly again nodded her head.

"I used a kitchen knife when he came at me for one last go, while our father was out. I slit his throat from cheek to cheek, as deep as I could get the blade. By morning my father still hadn't come back home, but my mom came in instead: she was supposed to take me for a weekend, her monthly visit."

"Did you tell her what happened?" Miranda asked. Again Kelly nodded.

"She cleaned the scene up and hid my brother's body. She had me clean up so that there'd be no blood on me. At about that time my father came back home, and mom told him to run and never come back, because if she ever found him she'd see him dead. He disappeared, and I've not seen him since.

"Five years later, mom died of a heart attack, and my older sister took custody of me. We moved back to Earth, and she discovered a letter mom had left for her, detailing what had happened to me. Katie promised she'd make them all pay for what they did to me."

Shepard nodded. All the Alliance had to prove Kelly responsible for the string of gruesome murders was that her return to Earth coincided with the beginning of the attacks, but as of yet there was no tangible evidence linking her to the murders.

"Can you tell us where your brother's body was hidden?" Miranda asked softly.

Kelly nodded as she began working on her omni-tool to do as asked.

"Did you ever give your sister the identities of the men who molested you?" Shepard asked. Kelly slowly nodded her head.

"She did make several of them pay." Miranda answered. "The last attack occurred," Miranda paused, looking through the data file once more. "On Omega, just after our visit to recruit Dr. Solus and Archangel."

"I swear, Commander, Major, it wasn't me."

"I believe you." Shepard answered. "However, we have to prove your sister's behind it. Can you give us the list of names you gave your sister?"

"I-I can't turn my sister over to you, Major." Kelly objected. "I know what she's doing is wrong, but-"

"Kelly, these attacks are gruesome, cruel. Many of them were Alliance personnel: Alliance Command wants someone to pay. If we catch her before she kills anyone else then there is a good chance we can help her too, but if the Alliance catches her or you before we do then there will be very little I, or anyone else, can do to help either of you."

After several tense moments of silence, Kelly finally nodded her head. "Please, Major Shepard, you have to help her out of this: she's only doing it to make them pay for what they did to me."

"I'll do everything I can, Kelly." Shepard answered, meaning every word he said as she began transferring the data from her omni-tool to his and Miranda's own devices. He had hoped for a good reason as to why this was happening, but not once had he ever thought that the young, bubbly yeoman he'd come to know so well had such a tragic, disgustingly horrific background.

As Miranda busied herself with the list of names on her omni-tool, Shepard reached over and cupped Kelly's chin in his right hand, lifting her face upwards so that they were at eye-level as he spoke.

"Don't let what that bastard did to you keep you down, Kelly. You're right, your father was-is-a monster, and I promise you, whatever it takes, we will hunt him down and bring him to justice. You are a kind, bright, energetic, bubbly, friendly woman, despite all of this."

"Yes, sir, but all these years, I've wrestled with the fact that I killed my brother-"

"You did what it took to protect yourself: never be ashamed of defending yourself, Kelly, never regret protecting yourself. Grieve for the life lost, for while he was alive he still had the chance to change, but do not _ever _be ashamed of yourself for doing what it takes to defend yourself. Never let fear, or anger, or hatred, or grief, compromise who you are, who you _really _are."

Kelly choked out a laugh as she wiped the silent tears from her face. "I thought _I _was the shrink."

"Even shrinks need a shrink sometimes." Shepard joked. "And speaking of a shrink...I need you to make your rounds to the rest of the crew, myself included, and talk to them, make sure they're ready, mentally, for this coming mission. Once your done forward me your full reports."

"Sir?"

"I said-"

"I understand my orders, Major, but I _don't _understand you letting me work after finding all of this out?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Shepard asked, standing now.

"Well, because I may be too distracted by what's going on to do my job effectively-"

"You're better than that, Kelly." Shepard answered. "If, as I believe, what you've told me is true, then you've only killed one person, and that was a twelve-year old girl defending herself as best she could. If I have anything to say about it you won't even see the inside of a courtroom. As for your sister, I won't make promises I can't keep, but I do promise I will do everything I possibly can to help her."

"Thanks, Major." Kelly said, instantly composing herself. "It always helps one get over the tragedy of their past if one has someone to talk to it about."

"As you once told me, Kelly: the door's always open."

She laughed, then, as Shepard and Miranda prepared to make their exit, and while Shepard could only imagine the pain the young woman had gone through during the majority of her life, dealing with the tragedy of her childhood alone, he knew she'd recover. It would take time, oh yes, it would take a great deal of time, but he had faith that the young woman was made of strong enough fabrics to pull through.

Once out in the hallway, away from Kelly, Miranda turned to regard Shepard, her voice calm and neutral as she spoke, but by now Shepard knew his XO enough to sense the anger and downright hatred in her voice.

"You really want to catch her sister before she finishes with this list?"

Shepard nodded his head. "Let me ask you, Miranda: if the same thing had happened to Orianna, what would you have done?"

"The same thing."

Again Shepard nodded his head. "I don't want to catch Katie Chambers because what she's doing is wrong, though legally, it is. I want to catch her because I want to be the one who makes the bastards pay for what they've done."

Miranda looked at him with a cocked eyebrow, a silent question Shepard went ahead and answered.

"Remember the speech I gave after we made it through the Omega Four Relay?"

"How could I forget?"

"I meant what I said about the _Normandy's _crew being my family. Every last word, I meant it all. Long ago, my father and grandfather taught me that you do anything to take care of your family, to protect your family. That speech wasn't just words."

Miranda nodded her head in agreement. "Sixty percent of the men on this list are still at large, and one of them are right here on Wayland. In addition, the address Kelly gave me is on Hope's Way, an Alliance colony world maybe an hour away from here."

Shepard thought for a moment before speaking. ""Without the _Normandy _we're stuck on Wayland-"

"So, Major, what's your plan?"

Shepard thought for several minutes before answering. "Take Zaeed and Samara with you to check out the body. I'll do what I can to arrange a ship to take you to Hope's Way. I'll take Garrus and Kasumi with me to investigate...who's the man you said is still here on Wayland?"

"A General."

Shepard froze in his tracks, his mind shutting down as it refused to believe what Miranda might be suggesting.

"_Who?" _He asked, his voice deep with the edges of anger and disbelief.

"Brigadier General Bradley Bradford. I'm downloading his address to your omni-tool now."

Shepard's frozen body thawed out immediately. "I'll take Garrus and Kasumi with me to interrogate General Bradford."

"According to the data I've obtained, Major, General Bradford, like your father, enjoys diplomatic and militaristic immunity. Only Alliance High Command would be able to revoke that, and only then if they had overwhelming evidence-"

"Come on, Miranda," Shepard joked, leading them back towards his own room. "You're smarter than that."

"Of course," She added, smiling now. "No one has immunity against Council Spectres. What about the commando that survived last night's attack?"

"Have Jacob take Legion and Jack to question him. Listen, Miranda, do you think you can track down Katie Chambers, perhaps get us some kind of location on where she's staying?"

"I'll need full access to the Alliance's database, not just the general access I have right now."

"What, can't slice the almighty Alliance database?" Shepard joked, placing a sarcastic emphasis on the word 'almighty'.

"I could do it, and we both know it." Miranda answered. "However, considering they've just pardoned me for being a Cerberus operative and gave me a commission, it might not be the wisest idea. I was talking about legal, legitimate access."

"I'll arrange it." Shepard answered. "I've got to go speak to General Shepard before I raid General Bradford's home, anyways. I'll also make sure you have access to the Citadel's full database too"

"Your father?" Miranda asked. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"He's the Commanding General of all Alliance ground personnel on this planet, and if Bradford has the rank of Brigadier General then it's likely he's on my father's command staff. I don't want to go banging down Bradford's door without at least telling General Shepard what I'm doing and why. Besides, there's also a chance my dad can give me some additional information on Bradford, let us be better prepared."

"Makes sense." Miranda conceded as they reached Shepard's door. "I'll contact you once we've recovered the body, or rather, what's left of it."

Shepard nodded, and as Miranda strode off to begin her own day of work, Shepard opened his door, entered his own suite, and closed and locked his own door behind him.

He unfastened his belt, laid it and the holstered pistol on his bed, and moving as quickly as he could manage he began pulling his old N7 armor over the uniform, making sure each section of armor was fully secure as it should be. Once done, the helmet now clasped down around his head, he opened a small side closet and began placing each of his guns into their proper holster, rounding his arsenal out with the pistol he'd laid on his bed.

He then moved across the room and activated his private terminal and began the process of connecting to his father's own terminal or omni-tool, whichever the older man had active...as luck would have it, it was his father's private terminal, located in his off-duty residence.

"_Up early, ain't you boy?" _His father asked, lazily running a comb through his hair, as though it were out of a bored habit and not actually because of a need to fix his hair.

"Good morning to you too, dad. You busy?"

"_Yep. I'm gettin' ready to go check on that bucket of bolts of yours. Why?"_

"I need to talk to you; I'll meet you at the _Normandy_."

"_This about the case file I gave you last night?"_

"Yeah."

The man nodded his head. _"See you there kid."_

Not taking the time to look himself over in the room's massive, fancy mirror, he opened the door to his suit once more and strode out, taking just enough time to again shut and lock his door...last night's surprise raid by the Cerberus Commandos had done a great job in making the Human Major even more cautious than he already was.

In silence he walked to the nearest elevator, continuing the brisk pace he'd used for a majority of the morning, and once inside the lift he ordered it to take him to the Consulate's fifth floor, where Tali, Kasumi, and Garrus had been placed.

Alone, away from the rest of his crew, his family, Shepard allowed himself to question whether they'd ever be able to fully prepare the galaxy for the pending Reaper invasion. It seemed like everywhere they went one emergency kept piling up on top of another. First there had been the Commando strike by Cerberus, and now there was Kelly being molested as a child and the one-by-one gruesome, cruel murders of the men responsible for her abuse.

On top of all that was the fact that he'd still not spoken with the Council following the attack on Earth. He knew it was probably time to contact them and let them know of the current situation with him and the _Normandy_, but part of him wanted nothing to do with the Council at the moment; he had, he felt, enough emergencies to be getting along with, and every time he spoke with the Council it seemed as though another great emergency would come up.

"One emergency at a time." Shepard muttered as the lift door opened up, and pushing those thoughts of failure from his mind he moved forward into the hallway beyond.

"Miranda, it's Shepard, you copy?"

"_Yes, Major, I'm here."_

"You, Duran, and Zaeed can meet me out front in five minutes: General Shepard's on his way to oversee work on the _Normandy _as we speak. Tali, Garrus, Kasumi, and I will be down there shortly and we'll all go together."

"_Copy that, Major."_

Reaching Tali's door Shepard stopped and rapped loudly three times on the door, patiently waiting for the Quarian inside to answer. Her voice came through the speaker on the side of the door.

"_Yes, Kitch?"_

"How did you know it was me?" _"It's not even dawn yet: who else would it be?"_

"Good point: can I come in?"

"_Of course."_

He smiled as the door opened up, and stepping forward he allowed the smile to remain on his face as the door shut behind him and a red light above him began to flash as air hissed out of the small containment field.

Upon hearing that there was a Quarian crewmember aboard the _Normandy _Corporal Sanders, his father's personal aid, had commandeered a containment field to put inside of the Quarian's room as well as a decontamination unit, allowing Tali to move freely in her room without her enviro-suit if she so wished.

A small panel in the side of the containment field opened up, offering a breath mask for him to place over his mouth, and, knowing too well what was coming next, he placed the device over his mouth and held it as the field became void of everything but cold, hard vacuum. Lasers then appeared out of the walls and ceiling of the field, painlessly washing over him like a shower to ensure that no outside bacteria made it into the makeshift clean room beyond.

The red light stopped flashing several minutes later and air then began hissing back into the containment field, and a moment later the light next to the inner door switched from red to green, and as that door hissed open Shepard replaced his oxygen mask back in the still-open tray and pushed it closed.

Slightly larger than most of the other suits, Tali's room looked otherwise like every other suit in the Consulate, with the curtains now open to let in the sunlight once it became light enough, though at the moment the sky was still mostly dark with only a couple of orange streaks to indicate the coming dawn.

Tali was sitting at her private terminal, pouring over some kind of data Shepard couldn't even make out, though he did have a suspicion.

"How bad is it?" Shepard asked, closing the distance between them.

"As bad as it can get." The Quarian woman answered. "I don't know how the _Normandy _made it here with such damage to begin with. The Drive Core needs complete replacing, as do the antiproton thrusters, and the fuel cells will also need replacing, and that's just the two biggest problems. _Keelah_. Like I said, I don't know how she made it here with all this damage-"

"She had the greatest engineer in the galaxy watching out for her."

"Suck up." Tali muttered. Shepard's grin only grew wider.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, draping his arms over her shoulders and bringing his chin to rest on her right shoulder.

"I was hit in the head, drug the consulate at gun-point and used as a hostage; I feel great." She answered sarcastically. "I slept with my shotgun last night." As she spoke she began transferring the data from her terminal to her omni-tool.

"Should I be jealous?" Shepard joked. Tali joined in the laughter as she stood up from the terminal and turned around, embracing Shepard and allowing him to pull her close.

At that particular moment all he wanted to do was pull her out of her enviro-suit and hold her close and tight in her bed, away from the dangers of the outside world. Forget catching Kelly's sister before she struck again: the bastards deserved it, and the Alliance would live. Fuck the Commando who'd led the previous night's attack, he'd get justice soon enough...as long as Shepard could keep Tali close to him it'd all work out just fine...

"You know," He began, grabbing her hands into his. "This _is _a fully sterile room, as safe as any of the Fleet's clean rooms-"

Tali playfully punched his arm. "No teasing." She admonished sternly. "Besides, I have to take my immuno booster and other medicines a few hours before we-"

"There's always tonight." Shepard said, and to his surprise Tali nodded her head.

'Okay." She replied. "If you're a good boy."

Laughter flooded out from her visor as she broke their embrace and headed, alone, into the massive bathroom the suits provided. When she returned a couple of minutes later, Shepard grabbed her right hand in his and led her to the door.

"What are you doing today?" She asked as they stepped out of the suit and into the containment field. This time, with them going out, the inner door closed behind them and the outer door opened a moment later.

"See," A woman's voice cut in. "Told you Shep was already here."

"Oh," Garrus Vakarian answered. "Well, now we know what that banging noise was earlier."

"Garrus," Tali said, not giving Shepard time to formulate a comeback. "If you and Kasumi had been any louder last night you'd have put the entire planet on combat ready alert."

Garrus choked as he nearly stumbled, and Kasumi, Shepard could tell, even under her hood, that she was trying furiously not to blush...and loosing. Suddenly Shepard couldn't help but wonder if maybe Tali was merely joking or if she'd actually heard the two...

"So, Shepard," Garrus said a minute later, once he was able to talk normally once more. "What are we doing today? Destroying a mythological race of bad guys? Protecting a planet from total destruction-"

"Arresting a pedophilic general." Shepard answered, leading the trio back towards the elevator.

"Yep, that's Shep for you." Kasumi joked. "So ambitious he's going after a general now."

"A pedophilic general?" Tali asked as they entered the elevator, and as quickly as he could he ran down the interview with Kelly, though he first swore each of the four to secrecy before moving on with the story.

"And you're sure General Bradford is responsible?" Garrus asked once he'd finished. Shepard, in response, shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't honestly know: that's why you two are coming with me." He said, pointing to both Garrus and Kasumi. "Garrus, you've had experience with this type of criminal, experience we'll need when we question him. Kasumi, while we occupy his attention I want you to search his residence, see if you can find any evidence to back up Kelly's claim."

"Shepard," Tali interrupted. "Do you really think he's stupid enough to leave evidence of such a crime just lying around, even in his own home?"

"Many criminals keep some kind of trophy or reminder of their crime." Garrus explained.

"He didn't make it to the rank of Brigadier General by being stupid." Shepard added. "If he has evidence to incriminate him it'll be well hid: that's why we need the galaxy's best professional thief with us on this one."

"Suck up." Kasumi muttered, and looking over at Tali Shepard suddenly had the feeling like she was silently laughing at him through that violet visor.

The elevator opened up, allowing them to enter the lobby, which had been cleaned up expertly following the previous night's fighting. As the four of them exited the Consulate's front entrance they discovered Jacob, Miranda, Legion, Zaeed, Jack and Samara waiting for them next to the lead air speeder.

As Legion entered the pilot's seat, Shepard led the rest of his crew into the passenger hold of the speeder, and while Legion piloted the speeder towards the Great Mesa, where the _Normandy_, concealed from the outside world, was now being repaired, Shepard swore the others to secrecy as well and then filled them all in on what was currently on their agenda. Once finished, no one said nothing, too stunned and appalled at what had happened.

"Shepard," Samara said at last. "If you arrest an Alliance General on suspicion of molesting a child but find no evidence to support it the Alliance will pull every string to make you pay for it. You'll be lucky to escape with your commission, much less-"

"If the Alliance wants to discharge me for protecting my crew, then let them." Shepard found himself saying, before he'd even known what he'd say.

"Look at it from their point of view." Jacob said. "You're attacking a General's reputation and career on the words of a Cerberus operative, an organization declared terrorists by the Citadel Council. Who do you expect them to side with?"

"I know." Shepard replied. "But I know Kelly's telling the truth-"

"Always did think there was something to Miss Perfectly Innocent's joining a group like Cerberus." Zaeed said. "Don't suppose anyone knows how we're going to gather forensic information off a corpse that's been buried for over a decade."

"If she cut him like she says she did," Miranda answered. "Then at least one of the neck bones would be at least nicked."

By the time they'd finished discussing their various missions, the air speeder was docking with the base of the Great Mesa, where Shepard's father and his aid, Corporal Sanders, were waiting patiently.

"About damn time." The other man answered as Tali and Shepard shared one last hug before she went on ahead to begin overseeing the work on the _Normandy's _engine room. "What you got, kid?"

"What can you tell me about Brigadier General Bradley Bradford?"

"Bradford?" The older man asked. "What's he got to do with anything?"

"Just humor me, dad."

The older man sighed. "He's a good enough general. Not half the talent you've got, of course, but the men under him do as he tells them. He rules more out of fear than actual respect. Any of the men who fail are punished to the maximum Alliance allowance." He paused. "You're investigating him, aren't you?"

The younger Shepard nodded his head and began explaining what Kelly had told him and Miranda earlier that morning. By the time Shepard finished, his father was visibly fuming.

"Let me guess: Bradford's name is on the list she gave you, right?"

He nodded his head.

"Damn it, damn it all to hell!" The older man roared. "It'll take me forever to get the clearance to begin an investigation-"

"I'm going in as a Spectre." He explained to his father, and those words stopped the Major General dead in his tracks.

"You realize the risk you're taking, Kitch?" He asked. "If you barge into his home, accuse him of molesting a child, and find no evidence to support that claim, your Spectre status and commission will both disappear before you can even blink. Bradford's got friends in high places, son, and I do mean high places. He's a flag officer of the Systems Alliance-"

"And he's a pedophile." Shepard finished. "I was made a Spectre so that I could strike beyond the protection of laws and regulations and make criminals pay for their actions. If I let Bradford get off clean or wait until we manage to beg, coerce, or force Alliance High Command into granting us the power to investigate him then I might as well hand in my resignation as a Spectre now."

The older man smiled. "What are we waiting for then, _Spectre _Shepard?"

"_We?"_

The General nodded his head. "Bradford was made my second in command when I took this post: if he's guilty of what you believe he is then I want a hand in nailing his ass to the wall."

"I'm sending Commander Lawson and her team to recover the body of one of the missing men reported in the case file."

"Which one?"

"Hunter Chambers. They'll need a ship to transport them to Hope's Way and back."

"Corporal Sanders!"

"Sir?"

"You heard the man. Contact the fleet, see if they can spare a frigate for a few hours."

"On it, sir."

The General sat down behind the controls of the speeder as Shepard took his seat next to him, and behind them Garrus and Kasumi took their own seats, leaving Sanders, Miranda, Zaeed, and Samara behind as they zoomed off across the Wayland plains, heading north, leaving what Shepard and his crew knew of Wayland behind.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, deep within Phoenix, the capital city of Wayland, Duran Dregan, the newest member of the <em>Normandy <em>crew, was hard at work. He was once again dressed head-to-toe in his armor, the same set of armor he'd been wearing when he'd boarded the _Vengeance_ and saved Shepard and his crew from certain defeat. However, he'd added a new, last-minute addition to the outfit: the pre-dawn wind fluttered the hem of his matte black cloak all around him, but the cowl remained over his head, revealing only the crimson visor of his helmet to the general public, which, of course, was exactly what he wanted.

Following their defeat of the commandos last night, Duran had snuck off for the city, deciding to waste no time in tracking down the latest lead in his quest to find his kidnapped sister and return her home to the Pyronian Empire that was destined to be hers. The man, a retired human of the Systems Alliance, had been quick to give him the name and location of a known Cerberus operative who had so far remained undetected by the Alliance, and, the informant had been happy to add, the man had been one of the ones responsible for kidnapping Duran's sister.

That information had led Duran to this warehouse on the southern side of Phoenix, a building that looked to be completely rundown and abandoned. He'd entered the warehouse from the roof, silently making his way lower and lower through the structure as he looked for any signs of the man in question, and now, after weeks and months of hunting his sister down, he was looking down at the man who knew where she was.

A dozen humans sat sprawled out across half that number of comfortable-looking chairs and couches, each looking as tired as the next, and beneath his helmet Duran only smiled: his job had just become easier.

He unsheathed the massive broadsword on his right hip and brought it up with his elbows extended outwards, the blade pointing up high above his head, and wasting no additional time he jumped off of the catwalk.

The moment he landed the twelve humans, half men and half women, were on their feet, sluggishly going for their weapons; they never got the chance. He swung the massive Pyria-forged blade down in a left-to-right swing, freeing the heads of the four humans in front of him from their bodies, and spinning around he repeated the process with four more humans.

As the Cerberus officer he was looking for charged him, Duran kicked out with his right foot, catching the man in the chest and sending him falling backwards while at the same time reversing the blade and thrusting it out behind him and into a hapless woman's heart.

Turning left Duran then brought the blade down to waist level and cut the last remaining man in half, and spinning then to his right, he slashed upwards in a diagonal motion, cleaving the final woman in half, taking her from her right hip to her left shoulder.

With that same fluid motion he stabbed the blade back into its scabbard and then spun around just in time to catch the only survivor with his right knee, and as the man staggered back Duran surged forward, wrapping his armored right hand around the pathetic human's throat and, victory within reach, slammed him against the closest wall.

"I-" The man began, whimpering and crying in pain.

"Shut it." Duran growled; the man made no additional noise. "Where is she?"

"I-I do-don't k-know w-who you-you're t-talking ab-about."

"The Pyronian woman you kidnapped over a month ago. I want to know where she's at and I want to know now!"

"T-the w-what woman?"

"Don't play with me!" Duran roared, feeling his patience slipping away. "Over one standard month ago you slipped through an uncharted Mass Relay on the edge of the galactic disk and infiltrated a system of species you'd never seen before. You kidnapped a girl from a massive palace on the first planet of the system. Where is she?"

"Her?" The man asked. "I g-gave h-her to the head of the l-local Cerberus c-cell a-as a g-gift."

"Where?"

"The l-location's o-on my omni...on my omni-tool."

Duran ripped the item off of the man's wrist as he began to squeeze harder around the man's throat.

"Y-you can-can't kill m-me." He gasped out. "You need me-"

"For what?"

"To get y-you into t-the C-Cerberus b-base."

"I don't need _you _for that, you pathetic weakling." And with a final push of strength the man's eyes rolled into the back of his head and with a satisfying _crack _the man's head lolled to the side.

Tossing the now-useless corpse aside Duran activated the stolen omni-tool, and within a couple of minutes he was pulling up the coordinates for the Cerberus base. Now, Duran thought as he began rigging the warehouse to explode, using a custom-made Pyronian thermal grenade as the detonator, it was time for Shepard to put his credit chit where his mouth was and make good on his promise to help him in his mission.

* * *

><p>The topmost quarter of Wayland's sun was beginning to peak shyly over the horizon when the speeder carrying the two Shepards, Garrus, and Kasumi came to a halt outside of the nice, large house that belonged to Brigadier General Bradley Bradford, easily the largest and nicest of the few dozen housing complexes of the area. Before the speeder had even come to a complete stop the younger Shepard was jumping out and running across the remaining distance at a full run, his hand already freeing his pistol from its holster. He banged his fists as hard as he could against the front door, suddenly unable to wait for the Brigadier General to open the door.<p>

The door opened to reveal a man dressed loosely in a General's uniform, and without even thinking on his actions, Shepard grabbed the collar of the man's uniform and slammed him against the open door.

"Who the hell-" His sentence trailed off as he placed the barrel of the pistol against Bradford's forehead.

"Does the name 'Kelly Chambers' ring a bell?"

"What?" The man asked, turning to regard Matthew Shepard, Kasumi, and Garrus as they joined them. "General Shepard, I demand you call off this-"

"No can do, Bradford." The older man answered. "He's a Council Spectre: I have no authority over him."

"He's mad-"

"Oh, he's mad alright." Garrus answered lightly. "Unfortunately for you, he's also completely sane."

"Kasumi." Shepard ordered. "Search this place top to bottom, inside and out."

Kasumi said nothing as she got to work.

"I'll ask one more time: does the name 'Kelly Chambers' ring a bell?"

"Who?"

"The twelve-year old girl you molested several years back."

"This is preposterous! Wait until General Briggs hears of this...yeah, that's _Lieutenant _General Fernando Briggs, a good friend of mine: I'll have your Spectre status stripped so quick you won't know which way is up. And _you," _He added, turning to face the elder Human. "By the time I'm done with you you'll be cleaning the heads at Fort Wentworth-"

Bradford's words died off as Shepard pressed the barrel of his pistol harder against the man's forehead.

"I don't care if you're best friends with God Almighty himself." Shepard growled. "If I find even the tiniest bit of evidence to suggest you're guilty you'll never see the light of day again."

"Hey, Shep, I found something!" Kasumi's voice shouted from deep inside the home. Shoving the man to his father, Shepard turned and led Garrus towards the sound of Kasumi's voice, the two Generals following closely behind.

They spilled down a stairwell and into the basement, where Kasumi was leaning carefully against a far wall.

"What you got, Kasumi?" Shepard asked as he joined the master thief.

"A false wall."

"You sure?" He asked. In response, she pushed against a piece of the wall a foot above her head while she pushed against the bottom of the wall with her foot: it swung open like a perfect little door.

"I demand you all vacate my property, immediately!" Bradford roared, but Shepard and Garrus each ignored him as the Human led the Turian into the hidden section of the basement.

To their right, covering much of the wall it sat on, was a massive video screen the likes of which Shepard couldn't remember having ever seen before. To the screen's left and right were a pair of massive shelves, each holding hundreds of disks and data chits, none of which were labeled.

A large bed occupied the fourth wall, situated with the head of the bed facing the video screen.

"What's on these?" Garrus asked, carefully picking up one of the data chits closest to the screen.

"None of your damn business, _alien_."

"Only one way to find out." Garrus answered. "Major?"

Shepard nodded his head, hoping against hope itself that this wasn't what he thought it was going to be.

The screen blinked to life, and what Shepard saw there was enough to confirm his suspicions...in more ways than one.

"_Come now, little Kelly, you know you enjoy play time as much as I do-"_

"Shut it off." Shepard ordered, turning to face the Alliance General his father was holding.

"You sack of shit, you're under arrest."

"I-"

"Give me one good reason." Shepard begged, taking aim with his pistol. "Give me one good reason to shut you up and I swear, I'll take it."

Brigadier General Bradley Bradford said nothing. Shepard shook his head.

"Too bad." He growled.

"Let's get this son-of-a-bitch up top to the speeder: the sooner he's in Fort Wentworth the better." His father ordered, turning to exit the room. Matthew Shepard took the lead while the younger Shepard, Garrus, and Kasumi each held their weapons on Bradford, forcing him to move forward in silence, the whole while Shepard hoping that he'd tempt fate one too many times.

The moment they walked out into the morning light, however, everything changed. A single, loud gunshot rang out through the morning air, and as though every bone in his body had suddenly disappeared, Brigadier General Bradley Bradford crumpled to the ground, blood leaking from a hole positioned directly between his eyes. There were no follow-up shots, not even as the three surviving beings crouched to the ground, weapons up and eyes scanning for a sniper, though Shepard had not suspected any kind of follow-up attack: Katie Chambers was only after those responsible for molesting her sister, and rolling the dead general over onto his back, looking into the whites of his dead eyes, Shepard couldn't help but secretly feel relief that such a monstrous man was dead.

* * *

><p>Back at the docked <em>SSV Normandy<em>, Tali stood alone among the ship's crew, watching as the Alliance crews worked on dismantling what remained of the ship's massive Tantalus Drive Core, making the necessary preparations to fully replace it.

Almost an hour had passed since her parting with Shepard, and already she was looking forward to the coming evening, when she'd be meeting both of his parents over dinner. She hadn't expected to do so this soon in their relationship, but, if she were honest with herself, she was kind of glad it was already happening: it told her Shepard was taking their relationship, whatever it was, as seriously as she'd been hoping he would.

She couldn't help but wonder what her own father would have thought of Shepard, of his only daughter dating, of all species, a Human. She'd heard her father say several times that the Human race had too much power for such a young and inexperienced race, and she knew he'd believed that would eventually have disastrous results, but he'd never downright hated them. In fact, according to some of the stories she remembered as a little girl, he'd worked closely with a few Humans in his own time.

"_Keelah Se'lai." _She muttered softly, realizing just how much she still missed her father...

"How are you feeling, Ms. Zorah?" A woman's voice asked from behind, and turning around Tali watched as Amy Williams, their newest crew member, pulled herself up off of the makeshift ladder that had been extended the length of the main elevator shaft following the _Normandy's _power being cut.

"Ensign Williams." She greeted kindly at the woman who had saved her last night. "I am doing great, thanks to you."

"Think nothing of it, ma'am: it was the least I could do: I owe Major Shepard one for bringing me onboard...how better to repay him than by saving the love of his life?"

"I-umm-huh?"

"Come now, Ms. Zorah." She chuckled, a friendly, understanding sound. "Everyone can see it. He was willing to risk his life to chase you down and rescue you onboard that massive triangle ship that attacked Earth yesterday. He can say 'No one gets left behind' all he wants, but I've been in love before, ma'am, I know the symptoms."

Tali nearly choked. "I-_love_?"

"I apologize if the Quarian culture has another word for it, but yes, ma'am, love. Even that Krogan, Grunt, is smart enough to see it."

"I-"

"You're lucky, Ms. Zorah." She answered kindly. "My sister didn't know how lucky _she _was, and because of her stupidity she lost what was most important to her, something I know she regrets now: please don't make her mistake, ma'am; you deserve the Major, and he deserves you."

"Your sister regrets what she said on Horizon?" Tali asked suspiciously.

"Oh yes, very much so." Amy answered, not bothering to stop and think as she spoke. "I saw the message she sent him following the Horizon mission. She was so stupid, I told her, but now I believe it's worked out perfectly: every woman needs that perfect man to make her happy, ma'am."

"Of course..." Tali trailed off, unable to make sense of the young woman's words.

"Anyways, ma'am, I just wanted to make sure you're alright: I know you took a nice banging last night. I have to be going, you know, work to do and all to make this ship spaceworthy again."

"I-of course." Tali stammered. "And thanks, again, for last night."

"No problem, Ms. Zorah." Amy said as she disappeared back down the makeshift ladder.

Tali could not believe the Human woman's words as she stood there in a stupor, no longer watching as Alliance personnel continued dismantling the dead Tantalus Drive Core.

Kitch-Shepard-had never mentioned a message from Ashley following the Horizon mission, had never mentioned that he knew Ashley regretted losing him...finally, she could take it no longer.

"Sergeant Stover!" Tali shouted, approaching the Alliance crew.

"Ma'am?" He asked politely, stopping to look up from his work. "Need something, Engineer Zorah?"

"Can you continue without me for a few minutes?"

"Of course, ma'am: we'll get this big lady taken out in no time."

"Thank you, Sergeant." She said, turning and walking in long, angry strides towards the makeshift ladder. The deck plating surrounding the elevator shaft had been peeled back to allow the ladders so that the crew and workers would have much easier access to the various levels of the Alliance frigate, and, taking advantage of such ease and speed, Tali effortlessly climbed up to the Second Deck, where the CIC was also being dismantled. Silent as she moved, Tali walked over to the terminal next to the galaxy map and with even less effort than it'd taken her to climb up from the Engine Room she hacked into her lover's private terminal, scrolling through the list of saved messages until she found the one she was looking for, and still silent she pulled it up, reading each word carefully...

**Subject: **_Hey There_

_Shepard-_

_I'm sorry for what I said back on Horizon. When I lost you two years ago, it tore me up. I prayed for you every day. I read a lot of Tennyson, thinking about you, just like I did when my dad passed. And then you came back, and it was like my prayers were answered. But I'm not who I was then, and neither are you._

_I don't know what's true anymore. Part of me can't believe it's really you. I keep going back to that night before Ilos, our night... I haven't let myself think about those memories in over a year._

_I wouldn't have expected you to work for Cerberus, but I know why they sent you to Horizon. I saw how many people were lost there, and if anyone can stop the Collectors, you can. I can't go where you're going, but I can wish you luck._

_Just stay alive out there... Skipper. I don't know what the future holds, but I can't lose you a second time._

_-Ash_

_Death closes all: but something ere the end_  
><em>Some work of noble note, may yet be done,<em>  
><em>Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.<em>

Tali reread the message at least a dozen times, but as she logged out she just stood there as the universe around her screeched to a grinding halt: for the young Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, the entire universe had just exploded. She would never notice the smiling human woman from watching from the shadows of the CIC, she'd not remember getting through the rest of the day, going about her duties, she'd never remember taking an air speeder alone back to her sterilized suit at the Auxiliary Systems Alliance Diplomatic Consulate, she'd never remember how she survived the agony of those words, but, that afternoon, as she let herself loose and cry, falling to her knees as her heart was torn from her chest, she would remember forever those two hundred and one words, 201 small knives that shredded her heart into small ribbons.

* * *

><p><strong>OH SNAP!<strong>

**Well, things just took an interesting turn, didn't they? Hmm...where will this lead our intrepid heroes? No, really, where? I have no idea. Now, hey, look here, I'm only writing the story, I don't know where my brain will take this...oh my...oh no, I've got multiple personality disorder! Oh no! **

**Okay, all joking aside now, I really hope this chapter turned out okay, I really do. I promise, though, the next chapter will blow all your battleships out of the water. **

**Just curious, but if I happen to do a makeup scene with Tali and Shepard, on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being nothing and 10 being just short of a porno shot, how, umm, _graphic_, does everyone want me to get? Any suggestions will be welcomed and considered. ^_^**

**Oh, and what do ya'll think has happened to Kelly's dad? Think he's still alive, or do you think he was the first to go? Hehe...only time will tell.**

**And finally, if anyone has a story in particular or just their works in general they'd like me to advertise, just send me a PM with the details and I'll check it out and be more than happy to advertise it, and hey, it's free, you don't owe me a thing. See, if you advertise my stories I want you to do it because you actually mean it, not because I'm forcing you to or because you feel obligated. Come on, who doesn't like free advertising?**

**Anyways, I suppose that's it. For those of you living here in the United States of America, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, eat some turkey for me, will ya? And for my foreign readers, if I have any, it may not be a holiday for you, but hey, go have a wonderful day anyways. So, until next time...**


	14. Treasonous Justice

**okay, so I'm a few hours late compared to my usual postings...trust me, just read this chapter and you'll find out why.**

**Also, as usual, I do not own _Mass Effect_; that is the property of BioWare. Now, on with the show.**

**OOOPS...Wait just a second. I usually try to keep the author notes prior to the story to a minimum, but I felt like saying this.**

**THANKS TO EVERY LAST PERSON WHO'S REVIEWED THUS FAR FOR MAKING THIS MY MOST-REVIEWED (and perhaps) GREATEST FANFIC I'VE EVER WRITTEN!**

**Now we can move on with the show...**

* * *

><p><strong>RECOMMENDED STORIES:<strong>

_**Paths To Vengeance **_**by **doctor anthony

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 014: Treasonous Justice<strong>_

{**0926; 9:26 a.m.**}

[**Location: **Command Center,Wayland Command Bunker, Great Western Plains}

(**Wayland - Gemini System - Phoenix Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

Positioned so deep under the ground of the Great Western Plains that no known technology could pick up any traces of it, the Wayland Command Bunker was considered by most who knew about it to be an invincible fortress where the top commanders of the Systems Alliance Auxiliary Command worked and plotted for only the worst case scenarios, scenarios of invasion and defeat.

It was a massive complex designed to comfortably house, indefinitely, approximately five hundred of Wayland's top military officers and politicians in the event of mass invasion of Alliance space, designed, more specifically, in the event that even Wayland was discovered and compromised. From here, it was said, the Alliance could command countless resistance cells across a score of worlds should Alliance space be conquered.

At the moment, however, the bunker's Command Center was occupied by only a small group of people, Human and alien alike, standing around a large image screen, studying the orbital reconnaissance data as it came through.

"Are you _sure _that these coordinates are correct?" General Shepard asked, finally turning away from the images to face the Pyronian warrior.

"You'd be surprised the truths you can learn when an average being, of any species or race, believes it'll save his ass from the fire." Duran answered. "Trust me, old man, they're there."

"But Mount Tantiss..." The General sighed as he ran a hand through his silver hair.

"What's so special about Mount Tantiss?" Garrus asked, looking from Duran to the General.

"It was the original site for this compound." The aging man explained. "However, approximately halfway through the construction phase, Alliance High Command suddenly decided it might be too obvious, so instead we constructed an underground labyrinth only a small group knows even exists, with this compound at the end of that underground maze."

"What'd ya'll do with the Mount Tantiss facility?" The younger Shepard asked, also eyeing his father. It was now almost noon, local time, and for at least a solid hour and a half, Council standard time, they'd been observing the planet's tallest point.

"We gutted it out, of course." He answered. "We salvaged what we could and demolished the rest. By the time our engineering teams and salvage crews were finished, only the complex's superstructure remained."

"And yet Cerberus has supposedly set up a hidden base there." The Major mused.

"I still can't see how that's possible." His father said. "To get just the superstructure we left behind fully functional again would require material and construction crews going in and out, something the Alliance patrols in that area would be bound to notice. Then there's connecting it to the planetary power grid, communications that would almost certainly be discovered by Alliance personnel, both on the ground and in space, and, even if they were to house their population on site, there's getting in food, medical supplies, and other basic necessities." He sighed. "If Cerberus was indeed hiding out there, or anywhere else on this planet, we would know about it."

"Not necessarily." Kitch answered his father, pondering on something the Illusive Man had once told him. "The Illusive Man once told me that Cerberus had sympathizers and allies in the topmost echelons of the Alliance-"

"Are you suggesting that someone inside of this command, possibly even directly under _my _command, is helping Cerberus from the inside?"

"It's possible." He answered, keeping his father's gaze without flinching. "I mean, we discovered, just hours ago, that one of your commanding generals was a pedophilic rapist."

"Well, there's one way of finding out for sure." Duran answered. "Let's go check it out. If no one's there then I'll start back at square one, but if Cerberus is there then we give 'em what they deserve."

"Hang on." Kitch answered, moving forward closely to examine the screen.

"What you got, kid?" His father asked, joining him.

"Magnify this, right here." He ordered, moving his fingers just below the base of the mountain. His father bent over at the screen's controls and did as he had requested, but it was still too small to make out anything significant.

"Times twenty." He corrected, and this time, as the screen changed to show a much closer image, it was perfectly clear what they were seeing.

"That's an Alliance shuttle." General Shepard spoke up, his voice suddenly low and hushed.

"Who's that?" The younger Human asked, pointing to a man who, even as they watched, was exiting the shuttle with five armed guards, turning to watch as an Alliance heavy troop transport touched down at the bottom of the screen, dispersing a dozen additional troops. Unlike the transportation craft, however, these men were dressed solidly in full combat gear, all sporting the Cerberus colors.

"Yep." Duran said, clearly satisfied with the turn of events. "So, Paragon, how do you like your Cerberus: rare, medium, or well done?"

"Major.' His father said suddenly, and having heard his father so many times in the past, the younger man knew what was about to come next.

"General, sir?"

"That Cerberus facility is a threat to all Alliance forces posted here. I want that threat eliminated, now, with extreme prejudice."

"There's more to it than that." Kitch countered. "We need to find out who, exactly, has been helping Cerberus escape detection. We need to know who their allies are, now, before another Cerberus cell can replace this one. Who's in charge of Alliance forces around the Major Northern Mountains?"

"Well, I, of course, am in charge of all Alliance ground personnel on Wayland, but the regional commander of the Major Northern Mountains would be General Cynthia Hawthorne."

"What about power? Who would be capable of authorizing the connection to the planetary power grid?" Kitch asked.

"I could, of course. So could General Hawthorne. Fleet Admiral Ulysses Bates might be able to, and Major Franklin Pierce is in charge of the Central Power Station, located in the middle of the Eastern Desert, as well as the several substations scattered across the planet that make up the physical power grid, would definitely be capable of doing so."

"Jacob, it's Shepard, you there?" Shepard began, speaking directly into his helmet's headset.

"_Go ahead Major."_

"Have you finished questioning Dennison?"

"_Affirmative, Shepard. I was preparing a report to send to you now."_

"Okay, take Amy and Legion with you to the Central Power Station in the Eastern Desert. Speak with Major Franklin Pierce, the Station's CO, and see who authorized the facility inside of Mount Tantiss to be connected to the main power grid and when that happened."

"I'm sending a shuttle to the Consulate to retrieve them now." General Shepard said as he began working on his omni-tool.

"Okay." The son answered. "Jacob, there's a shuttle en route now to the Consulate to pick you up and take you to the Central Power Station. Contact me once you arrive."

"_Copy that, Major Shepard. Lieutenant Taylor out."_

"Jack, it's Shepard, you there?" Shepard asked once he'd cut the line with Jacob.

"_What?"_

"You up to taking out some Cerberus operatives?"

"_When and where?"_

"Be outside of the Consulate in about five minutes and you'll see."

"_Does your Quarian girlfriend know you're taking me on a date?" _Jack asked, sarcasm etched into her words, even across the distance separating them. _"Don't be late."_

Shepard laughed as he cut the line of communications, and, as he prepared to invite Tali along with him, something stopped him. As far as he knew, she was still working on with crews on the fourth deck of the _Normandy_, where they should have finished removing the damaged drive core by now, and he had little doubt that the Alliance workers could continue on without Tali for a few hours...

"Garrus, Duran, and Jack will go with me to Mount Tantiss." Shepard explained, deciding against taking Tali with him. Three times now, between the Collector base and Wayland, he'd come close to losing her forever, and, as he prepared to tackle a Cerberus strong hold, he wasn't so sure he was prepared to have another close call. Besides, he told himself silently, there would be plenty of times later on for them to again stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the midst of combat...the Reapers would see to it.

"I've sent orders to Corporal Sanders to personally take you to Mount Tantiss."

"You're sending your personal aid into a combat zone?"

"Ha!" His father laughed. "She's an Alliance marine, kid: those Cerberus pigs won't know what hit 'em."

"Six of us against an entire Cerberus cell?" Garrus asked.

"It's overkill, really." Duran answered, sealing his combat helmet back over his head as he finished speaking.

"Like using a thermo-nuclear device to destroy an anthill." Shepard joked, leading his team towards the Command Center's exit.

"Hey, kid." His father called, causing Kitch to stop and turn.

"Yeah?"

"Take care of yourself out there, you hear me?"

"Aww, dad, I didn't know you cared." The younger man said with a laugh.

"Of course I care...about my old ass." The aging general retorted. "I'm as dead as General Grant if your mother finds out I let you get shot to bits before she gets the chance to chew your ass out for getting spaced."

On second thought, dinner tonight, with Tali and his parents, was beginning to look like the worst idea he'd had in years. "Yeah, about dinner tonight...I think I'm coming down with something. Cough cough, hiccup hiccup."

He smiled and flipped his father a casual salute with the first two fingers of his right hand, and, not giving his father any chance for a comeback, he turned and led the others back up towards the surface.

* * *

><p>[<strong>Location: <strong>Isla Del Muerto, Southern Pacific Ocean]

(**Earth - Sol System - Local Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

Known only as the Dread Lord, the man looked out from behind his helmet, a thing that, while designed on the protective helmets of the long-ancient Roman soldiers_, _could stop any known ammunition from penetrating beyond to his head. A crimson cloak, the deep color of Human blood just coming out of the body, covered his head (and helmet) and the body armor he wore nearly every minute of every day.

"Count yourselves lucky, gentlemen." He said slowly, his voice coming out in a deep, low growl as provided by hidden vocabulators on the inside of his helmet. "But a handful of men have ever stepped foot in this auditorium...even fewer still have ever been allowed to leave..._alive_."

The body of armored men, silent as Death himself, shifted uncomfortably as they listened to his words, and he relished in the smile that covered his face as he watched: he could tell, even without seeing their faces, what exactly it was going through their minds.

"I have called you all here for a reason. Each and every last one of you come to me _highly _recommended; your reputations, reputations of ruthlessness, cunning, and intelligence, have proceeded you."

No one else spoke.

"_However_, reputations are more easily given than earned; in the end, they are only words, words spoken by beings who know very little about which they speak. In short, I believe no reputation, as I proved when bringing you here this week: of fifty men with the most dangerous reputations, only you twenty-five remain, having _proven_ your reputations to be worth it. And believe me, you will need every last inch of ruthlessness, cunning, intelligence, and God-given luck to complete the assignment I'm giving you."

He turned and stepped to the side so that the gathered men in front of him could see the massive video screen behind him.

"This," He said as the first image flickered to life. "Is Major Kitch Shepard of the Systems Alliance Marines, Spectre for the Citadel Council, and one of three primary targets."

"Your second primary target is this woman right here." He continued on without stopping. "Second Lieutenant Ashley Williams of the Systems Alliance Marines and Spectre for the Citadel Council. Your final primary target is this woman here; Lieutenant-Commander Miranda Lawson of the Systems Alliance Navy. All three are to be taken alive and in relatively good health. Any of you who fail to take them _alive_ will suffer the fullest extent of my wrath.

"You've all heard about my reputation. Some call me the most ruthless man alive. Some say I have no soul, and others say my soul is that of the Devil himself. Many have seen fit to nickname me Death. I can assure you, my reputation is _well _earned.

"You may use any means necessary to take your targets, as long as they are alive and relatively healthy I will be pleased. I will download what intelligence I possess on the three to your omni-tools once this briefing in concluded, and then you will be on your own. Once you have captured your target you will deliver them to the location I am also sending to your omni-tools. Once you leave this island you may never again return, except only at my own personal invitation. Anyone who does happen to return, _without _my permission, will also feel the full extent of my wrath. Work together or work alone, it matters not to me, as long as I am given results."

Again, no one spoke.

"If you fail then you had best die, for if you live then you will also feel my wrath. You are dismissed. Your vessels are prepared at the rear of the island and the Kinetic Barrier surrounding my home will be lifted for one full minute once the first of you report in that you're prepared for takeoff. Anyone left once the Barrier comes back online will be utterly destroyed. Now, move."

He watched in silence, folding his armored hands and arms across his chest, an intimidating, dark and powerful presence against whom no one would dare raise a hand against. He allowed himself another smile under his helmet: soon, very soon, his plans would be put into motion, and no one would ever be able to stop him. Even the almighty Major Shepard and Cerberus combined were too late to stop him. By the time either Shepard or the Illusive Man had any idea as to what was going on, he would control the greatest force the galaxy knew about.

"Father." A small, whispery voice addressed, causing the Dread Lord to slightly turn his head to regard the sixteen-year old boy.

"Samuel?"

"You have a visitor sir, en route now. ETA is five minutes."

The smile beneath the helmet only widened as he spoke, and, even through the vocabulators inside of helmet he knew that smile was likely sounding out even through his voice.

"I shall be up to greet our guest upon his arrival, child. I wish for you to fetch him and guide him here to the manor. Make him comfortable up on the guest balcony, and order the kitchens to have refreshments prepared immediately."

"Yes, sir."

The boy left, leaving the Dread Lord alone with his thoughts, and the Dread Lord only smiled.

Hernandez Blanchard was a small, rotund man well on the far side of fifty. His skin was a deep golden color, his hair as dark as a moonless night, though the dome of his head was now bald and what little hair he had left was streaked with grey. The suit he wore was reminiscent of twenty-first century suits worn by the wealthy echelons of society, and despite his stature he gave off an undeniable sense of power. This, the slim, much younger David Harper knew, was a man used to always getting _exactly _what he wanted. He was also, Harper reminded himself, the Deputy Minister of the Systems Alliance and thus the most powerful ally he currently had.

Dressed in a military-grade uniform that was as green as a summer forest, Harper moved forward, a smile overtaking his sharp, pointed features, his clean-shaven face making him look like the kind, rich man most believed him to be.

"Mr. Blanchard" He greeted, offering the other man a slight bow as he extended his hand forward. "Welcome to my humble home."

"Mr. Harper." The other man greeted, taking his hand. "I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice."

"Not a problem at all, sir." Harper answered back, now gesturing at the seats. "Please, sir, take a seat and make yourself feel comfortable."

"Tell me, Mr. Harper, how goes our preparations for the coup of the Systems Alliance?"

"Everything is running on schedule, as planned, sir. I have assassins assigned to all of our major targets, and even as we speak two dozen of the galaxy's best bounty hunters are spreading out now to find our three 'donors'."

"And you're sure no one will be capable of linking the assassinations back to us?" He asked. "It would be very..._unfortunate _if they were to do so. Our plans would be ruined, the Systems Alliance would fall forever under the weight of the Citadel Council, and we would both be better off dead."

"Only a select few know about what we're planning, and the assassins don't even have the identities of their targets, nor will they receive that intelligence until just before we're prepared to begin the attack."

"Very well." The Deputy Minister answered. "What is your plan of attack, Mr. Harper?"

"We will take out Prime Minister Hamilton and her cabinet at a rally she has scheduled in just under two months-"

"Are you sure it's wise to attack her out in the open?"

"It's the best idea by far, sir." Harper answered, biting down on the temptation to punish the man for questioning the wisdom of his carefully-conceived plan. "By attacking the Prime Minister out in the open no one will suspect an inside job-"

"Except, of course, I will be the only survivor-"

"Not so, sir." Harper corrected. "You will be somewhere on one of our colony worlds, campaigning for the coming elections while Prime Minister Hamilton is holding her precious rally with her cabinet, begging Humans to learn tolerance with our enemies, the aliens."

"Bah!" Hernandez spat. "I still don't see how she got elected in the first thing. Amul Shastri was bad enough-"

"Apathy and _'tolerance' _have weakened our mighty race. So few see that in order for us to survive me must not only separate ourselves from the aliens but we must conquer them as well, drive every last one of them into extinction. This is _our_ universe, Mr. Blanchard, given to us by God Almighty himself: we _will _secure our property. Eliminating Prime Minister Hamilton will be our first step in securing that property, sir."

"You should take solace in how pleased I am to hear those words, Mr. Harper; I see now that I have indeed chosen the right man for the job."

"You have, sir, yes sir, indeed you have."

"I must confess, however, that I am still nervous about your ties to Cerberus." Blanchard added. "My information tells me that you're highly placed within that organization-"

"The Illusive Man, sir, is a total and utter fool." Harper laughed. "He believes he can trust me, that I am at his total service. That foolishness will be his undoing."

"Indeed?"

"Major Shepard and the _Normandy _have disappeared following the Battle of Earth. The Illusive Man has no ideas on where he may have slipped off too for repairs, but it hardly matters: I know Shepard's type, and as long as he breaths he will stop at nothing to destroy Cerberus."

"It would appear that this includes you."

"For now, perhaps." Harper allowed. "I am, however, close to realizing plans of my own, Minister Blanchard, plans that will give me the single most powerful organization in all of Humanity, an organization I feel will be capable of serving faithfully as your own private secret police once you take over."

"Perhaps you can prove that, Mr. Harper."

"You need a favor, sir?"

"Yes. There is a summit in Tokyo, one week from tomorrow, where all the Earth's great leaders will meet to discuss the possibility of introducing legislation that would make the Systems Alliance not only the governing body of all extra-Earth colonies, but of the Homeworld of Humanity as well."

"Indeed?" Harper asked, impressed. When it came to domestic issues on Earth, independent nations held their individual sovereignties...the Alliance military might protect the planet, but it had little influence on Earth governments. If what Hernandez Blanchard had just said was correct, then there was a great opportunity before them to unite the entire planet behind the Alliance as well, making them one _planet _under God, and thus, by default, one _galaxy _under God. "You want me to ensure the bill's passage."

"You have friends where I don't." Blanchard allowed. "If you'd be so kind, Mr. Harper, persuade the opponents of the bill you can to join our cause."

"And the ones I can't?"

"I'd have thought that obvious, sir." Hernandez was smiling now, a dark, ominous expression. "Kill them."

Harper allowed his own smile. "I like your way of thinking, sir."

For another hour the two men talked about their plans for a New Order, where the galaxy's alien species would no longer exist and the galaxy would be ruled solely by Humans. By the time Blanchard left and Harper made his way into his private study, he was suddenly reassured of the strength and honor of his plans...this was, he decided firmly as he activated his private terminal, the dawn of a new era for both mankind and the Milky Way Galaxy.

A massive ship-like creature, closely resembling an ancient Reaper Cuttlefish, suddenly came to life in the form of a small, shimmering hologram, and though no part of it moved, it spoke all the same.

"_You have news, Harper?"_

"I do, Master _Justice_."

"_Speak, now."_

"I have the galaxy's best bounty hunters out tracking our three targets as we speak, and my project to destroy Cerberus and bring the Alliance directly under my command are proceeding as planned."

"_Even your best are nothing compared to us, Harper. However, for our purposes they shall work fine. I question your decision to place your faith in a cowardly specimen such as your Systems Alliance's Deputy Minister."_

"I assure you, my Master, Blanchard has no idea about my true intentions: by the time he discovers this simple truth, I assure you, it will be far too late for him, or anyone else to stop us." He paused. "I am wondering, however, if perhaps we ought not revise our plans some. Kill Shepard and continue with our capture of Lawson and Williams; even with just the two of them we could-"

"_This Major Shepard frightens you." _It was not a question.

"Frighten me?" Harper scoffed. "Never. However, I do find myself, grudgingly, respecting his skills. After all, he's destroyed a Reaper before."

"Nazara_ was a fool." _Justice roared. _"He placed his survival in a corrupt being with very little skills, and he indoctrinated the fool to the fullest of his abilities. I have learned from his mistakes. I have yet to indoctrinate you, Harper, because you alone, for a Human, are intelligent, skillful, and reliable; you have yet to fail me...hope that does not change."_

"Never, my master. Nevertheless, we play a dangerous game, attempting to capture Shepard alive-"

"_All of you are nothing compared to us." _Justice explained. _"And yet...I am forced to admit that there is something special about this Major Shepard of yours. Foolish or not, _Nazara _was a legendary warrior, invincible in combat, or so it was said. He is vital to our plans...without him they will all fail."_

"As you wish, Master." Harper bowed, finding he still choked on the final word of that sentence. "I've heard rumors that there was a Reaper involved in the Battle of Earth yesterday."

"_I was." _Justice confirmed.

"Why?"

"_My reasons are my own, Harper; do not pry where you do not belong. Suffice it to say, I found great success yesterday at Earth."_

"Your success is my success, Master. I shall look forward to the day our New Order becomes official."

"_That day shall be soon, Harper. Continue ahead as planned with all our efforts...do _not _fail me."_

"Never, my Master."

The holographic image disappeared, leaving Harper alone once more, a smile overtaking his face yet again.

"_Sovereign _might have been a fool for indoctrinating Saren, but you, _Master Justice, _are an even bigger fool for _not _indoctrinating me. Once this is over I will see to it personally that you're both reunited in the afterlife.

Never did Harper notice the thirteen-year old girl watching him from the doorway behind him, nor did he suspect that _Justice _was onboard that very same train of thought...

* * *

><p>[<strong>Location: <strong>Central Power Station, Great Eastern Desert}

(**Wayland - Gemini System - Phoenix Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

"You must be Lieutenant Taylor." A small, severely obese man greeted as Jacob entered the main lobby of Wayland's Central Power Station, flanked by Legion to his right and Ensign Amy Williams to his right. The man, sporting the rank bars of a Major in the Systems Alliance, had shaggy brown hair and a long, shaggy brown beard and mustache. His skin was ruggedly tanned, beading with sweat, and his uniform looked like it hadn't been properly maintained in years, maybe even decades.

"Major Pierce?" He asked, and once the man nodded Jacob quickly offered the man a salute...if he was going to do this whole Alliance commission thing then he might as well do it right, after all.

"Yes," The man said, returning the gesture. "General Shepard informed me you'd be here to see me before too long...said you had some questions for me."

"Yes. The Mount Tantiss facility; is it connected to the planetary power grid?"

"Shouldn't be." Pierce answered, and while his voice was that of a helpful, sincere officer, his answer was too fast, too automatic...it had been, Jacob knew, rehearsed. "Nope, Mount Tantiss has been abandoned for years."

"Is there any way you can check and be one hundred percent sure?" Jacob asked. The Major hesitated and his smiling, friendly face faltered, but only for a moment. A mere second later and it was back, as though it'd been there the whole time.

"Of course, Lieutenant Taylor, it'd be my pleasure. After all, we must be sure, mustn't we?"

Taylor nodded his head as he followed the Major across to the far side of the lobby and up the right set of stairs.

"Lieutenant, sir," Amy said slowly. "There's something weird about this Major."

Jacob nodded his head to show he had heard and understood what the young woman had to say, his eyes and other senses open for any signs of betrayal or deceit.

Once up the stairs they turned left and followed the Major along the catwalk to a small door at the far end. On the other side of that door were a trio of display screens that made three islands dead smack in the middle of the room.

"Chief Goldstein," Pierce shouted as they entered the room. "Bring up the power grid map for the Major Northern Mountains on Screen B."

"On it, Major!" A woman ordered, and a moment later the middle screen blinked to life, showing the entire Major Northern Mountain Range as well as a series of bright, flashing yellow lights.

"This," Pierce said, pointing to a large cluster of lights on the northern side of the mountains. "Is Fort Longstreet. It houses a contingent of Alliance Marines under the command of General Cynthia Hawthorne. _This_," He continued, zooming in on the largest and tallest of the mountains. "Is Mount Tantiss, and it would appear...oh dear."

"Major?" Jacob asked.

"It would appear that the facility inside of Mount Tantiss _is _connected to the planetary power grid." Amy explained.

"Who authorized it?" Jacob asked. Pierce was still for a moment, as though debating on what he should say, but a moment later he bent over and began working furiously at the controls.

"Appears it would have been authorized by Major Benjamin Sternway, a member of General Hawthorne's command staff."

"Would the General have known about it?" "She would have to." Pierce answered, again sounding as though he'd rehearsed his answer. "Only myself, General Shepard, General Hawthorne, and Admiral Bates would have the authority to connect Mount Tantiss or anything in that region to the power grid."

"Major," Amy asked innocently. "Would you object to me downloading a copy of this report so that I can file it for later use against General Hawthorne and/or Major Sternway?"

"Of course, be my guest." He answered, and again Jacob got the feeling that he was being _too _helpful.

"What do you know about Major Sternway?"

"Not much, I'm afraid, Lieutenant." Pierce admitted. "I've met him once before, but he was quiet nearly the whole time, like he didn't know how to speak. Crazy, huh?"

"Yeah, crazy." Jacob answered. "What about General Hawthorne?"

"I've met her a few times. She's likable enough, but her superiors see her as a bit of a loose cannon."

"She disobeys orders during combat to do as she sees fit." Jacob explained. Pierce, however, shook his head.

"She'll follow orders, sure, but she _reinterprets _her orders to suit her needs."

"With all due respect, Major, sir, you're lying."

Pierce's friendly, helpful face suddenly disappeared, gone with no trace. He turned, his eyes narrowed as he glared at the young woman. "What? Did? You? Just? Say?"

"This form is a lie. From the beginning I spot a hundred different inconsistencies with standard Alliance doctrine and regulations."

"You're not even a full officer yet, girl: you don't know what you're talking about."

"She's a JAG lawyer." Jacob interrupted, moving closer to Amy. "What'd you find?"

"The real form was deleted...or so Major Pierce thought."

"You recovered them?"

"I did." Amy answered. "According to the _real _logs, Major Pierce here is the one who authorized Mount Tantiss to be connected to the planetary power grid."

"Why would you do that, Major?" Jacob asked, turning to face the man. "Who ordered you to-"

"You need to leave, Lieutenant: now." Pierce interrupted, a completely different man than he had been moments before.

"Not yet." Jacob answered.

"That is an order, _Lieutenant._"

"I am afraid you have no authority to order Taylor-Lieutenant to do anything, Pierce-Major. He is under the authority of Shepard-General and his male offspring, Shepard-Major, who also happens to be a Citadel Spectre."

"Shut up, _Geth_." Pierce spat, and in a movement that defied his size and fitness level, Pierce reached on the far side of the projector screen and withdrew a shotgun, aiming the weapon directly at Jacob's face. "I'm afraid you now know to much to be allowed to ever again leave this station...alive."

"That's not necessary, Major." Jacob answered, trying to defuse the situation before it went too far. "We can still work this out."

"There's nothing left to work out." Pierce mumbled. "You now know too much about our affairs."

"_Our _affairs?" Amy asked

"Yes...only logical...I can easily explain it away." Pierce began saying rapidly, sounding as though he'd lost his mind. "Wouldn't leave, disobeyed direct orders, brought a Geth within secure parameters...went made...accused me of being a Cerberus operative...I was forced to repel invaders-"

"No one said anything about Cerberus." Jacob said, making it sound matter-of-factly as apposed to accusatory. The Major smiled.

"You are relieved of your command, _Lieutenant._"

And, only five feet from Jacob, Major Franklin Pierce opened fire.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, before we begin, I want to thank <strong>doctor anthony **for helping to inspire me to use the idea of this story about David Harper, a.k.a the Dread Lord...I even took the speech about how reputations are only words from his awesome story, _Paths to Vengeance, _which I have thus far enjoyed a great deal, and used it to fit my own story.**

**Before I say anything else, I feel obligated to point out that, until last night, I did not plan for the last half of this chapter to ever even happen. From the end of the scene with Shepard on, none of this was ever planned. However, I was sitting up yesterday afternoon, thinking and rethinking about how the _Mass Effect _Wiki talks about Cerberus, or at least part of Cerberus, is allied with the Reapers come Mass Effect 3, likely through indoctrination, and how I would bet anything that the Illusive Man is too smart to allow himself to be indoctrinated...and suddenly this popped up into my mind. So, hopefully, everyone will see this as just another twist in the road.**

**Now, in regards to the reviews I got on the last chapter...I must confess that I too, am just slightly confused as to why Tali would be so upset after reading the post-Horizon message from Ashley to Shepard. However, we must remember recent events: Tali and Shepard have come close to losing each other a handful of times during span of time between the trip through the Omega 4 Relay to landing on Wayland to have the _Normandy _repaired. I would be willing to believe that Tali is nervous as hell, tired, and slightly afraid. I do have a more concreate answer, which, I promise, will be released in the next chapter which, if it stays as it looks right now, will likely be the longest chapter yet.**

**And yes, I am on my knees here, begging for forgiveness for postponing the makeup scene between Shepard and Tali and the dinner scene with them and his parents, until the next chapter. Please, if thou hast a most gracious mercy on my lowly, humble self, I shalst make it worth thee's while.**

**I will also add this: there are a few clues in this chapter as to what will happen in the future...but for now that's all I shall say on that one. And please, don't ask me why I decided to have this one named _Justice..._it just seemed right. I mean, there's _Sovereign, Harbinger _(which is a fancy word for messenger)...I dunno, I thought it fit...**

**I want to thank everyone who's reviewed and helped me thus far; it means a lot to me that anybody would take the time to help with the writing of a fanfic. I mean, they may be just for fun, but writing fanfics since I was fourteen has helped me develop my writing skills far beyond what school could ever teach me, so again, thanks to everybody.**

**Also, if any of you are _Star Wars _fans I would suggest you check out the story that's listed below. **

**Again, thank you all, and until next time...**

* * *

><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES BY<strong> Guardian Kitch**:**

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_


	15. The Hornet's Nest

**I apologize profusely for taking so much extra time to update this next chapter, but between the length of this chapter as well as my latest chapter for my _Star Wars _fic and the fact that I had to do some minor repair work to my computer, it's taken me a little longer than it normally does.**

**But, see, I've made up for that, for this chapter is not only the longest chapter so far of this story but also the longest single chapter I've ever written for a fanfiction, which, I feel, given what this chapter contains, adds only luster to this awesome story. (I hope.) And, believe me when I say, there is something towards the end of this chapter that no one will see coming...well, almost no one.**

**Also, remember that if you have a story you'd like me to advertise below let me know via Private Message and I will go check it out and recommend it as such.**

**As is always the case, I don't own _Mass Effect_: it remains the property of BioWare. Now, on with the show!**

* * *

><p><strong>RECOMMENDED STORIES:<strong>

_**Paths To Vengeance **_**by **doctor anthony

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 015: The Hornet's Nest<strong>_

* * *

><p>{<strong>0940; 9:40 a.m.<strong>}

[**Location: **Mount Tantiss, Major Northern Mountains, Great Western Plains}

(**Wayland - Gemini System - Phoenix Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

Mount Tantiss towered over Shepard as he led Duran, Garrus, Jack, and Corporal Sanders away from the Alliance shuttle that had served as their transport. There was no one waiting outside the entrance of the foreboding mountain, no resistance offered as they moved into the darkened cave, weapons at the ready, but the five soon learned exactly why there was no one to stop their advance through the entrance cavern that led to the Alliance-turned-Cerberus facility.

Bodies littered the ground all around them, all of which sported the Cerberus logo on their chests.

"This makes no sense." Duran supplied as Shepard stopped and bent down to check one of the bodies. "Those Humans we watched enter this place were clearly Cerberus scum...why kill fellow Cerberus scum?"

"Perhaps it's some kind of Cerberus Civil War." Corporal Sanders offered, holding her pistol in a two-handed grip with the weapon aimed at the ground.

"Maybe not." Garrus countered as he joined Shepard in examining the body of a middle-aged woman who had been shot at least a dozen times.

"You have an idea, Garrus?" Shepard asked, looking up at his Turian companion.

"When I worked for C-Sec we often had cases involving gang warfare. One of the favored tactics of most gangs on both the Citadel and Omega was to impersonate one gang and eliminate a rival gang. They'd dress up in another gang's colors, leave that gang's tags at the scene of the crimes, and let the blame fall on that gang, leaving them in the clear."

"Could've been an Alliance Special Ops team." Duran answered, joining Garrus and Shepard.

"Not likely." Corporal Sanders answered firmly. "Alliance Command would have had to notify General Shepard that there would be Special Forces personnel operating inside of his jurisdiction so that he'd not send troops after them thinking they were someone else."

"Unless they knew there was a leak somewhere in the Chain-of-Command and suspected perhaps General Shepard was it." Shepard answered. "Corporal Sanders is right, though: this," He said, gesturing towards the body he'd been inspecting. "Isn't the work of Alliance Special Forces."

"What makes you say that?" Duran challenged.

"This woman here's been shot at least twelve times, maybe more." He answered. "I see three shots that alone would have killed her. Whoever did this may have had a high accuracy rating, but it's sloppy, unprofessional...amateurish. An Alliance Special Forces team would have entered, used just enough firepower to neutralize the target, proceeded through the facility, and then withdrawn."

"So then, Paragon, you're saying either we have an internal war killing Cerberus for us from the inside out, or...what, exactly, is it you're trying to say, exactly?"

"Either Cerberus has become divided against itself or they've pissed someone else off, and that someone's letting them know who's boss by destroying a top secret Cerberus base no one knew even existed on the most secure planet in Citadel Space." Corporal Sanders answered bluntly, still not turning to look at the body. "If Cerberus is having an internal civil war then they'll be split up, divided in on themselves, and that could give us the opportunity the Alliance needs to neutralize them once and for all. However, if someone else is destroying them from the outside then perhaps, Major Shepard, you could gain a truce with them and thus gain an ally to take Cerberus down."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Shepard muttered softly. "Duran, you said you've tracked your sister here, right?"

"Yep, and may the gods have mercy on the soul of whoever has her, because I won't."

"Could your government have tracked her here too and sent in a team to rescue-"

"As interesting a theory as that sounds, Paragon, there's two flaws with it. First, those men and women we watched earlier were clearly human, and second, I _am _my government's rescue team."

"Jack," Shepard said suddenly, turning to Cerberus's former Subject Zero. "You're sure being quiet about all of this."

"I'm not here to talk." She answered angrily, as though their discussion was boring her. "I'm here to kill every last member of Cerberus I can find."

"Yeah, I'm with baldy on this one." Duran answered, and as a look of unadulterated rage overtook Jack's face Shepard could feel a warm wave of air blow over him, as though Jack's anger had taken on some kind of physical form. Duran, in response, laughed.

"Let's get moving." Shepard ordered, moving in to defuse the situation before it got any worse. "Whoever did this is still here, and we need to take care of them, now, while we can."

Again Shepard took the lead, his assault rifle up and ready for any surprise that he and his squad might come across. The number of bodies only grew as they moved deeper and deeper into the cave, each body riddled with numerous shots, reinforcing Shepard's believe that who they were after wasn't a professional government special forces team.

After a few more minutes the team of five reached a sharp corner, and, lining his team up against the natural earthen wall, Shepard took aim and jumped out from around the corner, expecting this to be where they met their first wave of enemy resistance...he'd _not _been expecting the war zone that greeted him.

Hundreds of bodies, both Human and Husk, littered the approach to the front entrance of the Mount Tantiss facility. Two Mako tanks, wrecked and burning profusely, flanked the open blast doors that led into the facility itself, and the smell of Death himself clung to the air.

"Whoever did this may not be professionals according to our standards," Shepard answered as he motioned for the rest of his team to join him. "But they definitely know how to pack a punch."

"If those tanks were anything like our old Mako then they definitely know what they're doing." Garrus added as they began slowly moving forward, eyes still scanning the wreckage.

Inside of the facility itself, the lights flickered on and off, as though there was something wrong with its connection to the power grid, but, thankfully, the lights remained active and bright enough to illuminate the way ahead. Of course, Shepard mused silently, there was only one path forward into the facility, that path being a medium-sized corridor with a large lift at the end. Once inside of the elevator itself, Shepard began studying the control panel carefully, thinking on where they should go next.

"According to the original design layout of the facility, the command center would be further up inside of the mountain, near the summit." Sanders explained quickly. "Whether it's a Cerberus cell looking to take over or another organization altogether, that's where they'd go."

Shepard, in turn, activated the controls to make the elevator descend further into the mountain, taking them ever deeper underground.

"Major," Sanders began, but Shepard didn't let her go any further.

"The Illusive Man will have made sure that whoever he put in charge here would be fully protected from any possible attacks: it'd be much harder to penetrate the facility deep underground than it would if it was higher up inside of the mountain itself."

Duran, eerily silent, was now working on his omni-tool religiously, and it was clear from the look on his face that he was getting frustrated.

"What are you working on, Duran?" Shepard asked casually.

"My sister has a tracking device on her body, but even though we should be right on top of her I'm getting nothing on its return."

"Could be the minerals inside the mountain itself are blocking the signal." Shepard offered.

"Un-bloody-likely." Duran answered. "Pyronian sensors are the most powerful in the galaxy, known or otherwise. Only a handful of minerals can impede our scanners in any way, and all are native only to our homeworld."

"What if she died?" This question, surprisingly, had come from Jack.

"She didn't." Duran answered in a voice that said whether or not is was the truth he'd never accept it as such.

"What if she did?" Jack challenged.

"Then I would go berserk, baldly. Have you ever seen a Pyronian imbued with noble blood go berserk? It ain't pretty, I promise."

"Why is being of noble blood a bad thing?" Shepard asked, surprised when Duran actually answered the question.

"The Pyronians, like the Asari, are all born with biotic powers. Unlike the Asari, however, Pyronians with royal blood have what we refer to as an element to call: almost always the element of fire.

"I haven't seen-"

"You've not seen me call my element because that is a power beneath me. I am what our people call a _ment'el. _To have an element to call you must have that element present in some form before you can call it. A _ment'el _can break the laws of the physical world and create it from thin air. To call my power I must give into my rage. Not a righteous rage, but a pure, undisputed rage, a rage so hot it can melt a star. I could burn this planet in my sleep, if I so wished."

"I can't let you-"

"You won't be _letting _me do anything, Paragon." Duran challenged. "I vow, if my sister has died, I _will _destroy all life on this insignificant planet."

"There are over a million Humans posted on this planet alone." Corporal Sanders interjected. "You can't-"

"I can, and I will." Duran countered. "Human lives do not matter to me; they never have and they never will. I am fighting at your sides only because it's advantageous for me to do so. If it were more advantageous for me to kill you than fight alongside of you, then I would do and not hesitate. My duty is to myself, my family, and my people. Not to the Humans, or the Turians, or any other race, but to the Pyronians."

Sanders was suddenly in motion, her pistol coming up to take aim at the young Pyronian male.

"Shepard, call her off." Duran ordered. It wasn't fear that drove his voice but rather danger, a cold, angry knowledge that he'd been threatened and that he would easily kill Sanders to preserve his own life.

"Major," Sanders said, her voice a primal growl as she spoke. "I say we blow his goddamn brains out right here and right now."

"Stand down, Corporal." Shepard ordered as Garrus moved in, preparing to grab her and keep her from opening fire.

"You just heard him, sir: he threatened Alliance personnel-"

"He did." Shepard answered. "However, he's done nothing to carry out that threat."

"_Yet." _Sanders countered.

"He's our ally, Corporal." Shepard responded. "We do not betray our own. Now, stand down."

"I-"

"That is an order, Corporal." Shepard interrupted. "If he kills you defending himself there is nothing I can do. Now, _stand down_."

"Yes, sir." She answered, lowering her pistol.

"Girlie, the next time you draw down on me you'd best be prepared to fire." Duran responded, his voice dangerous and angry. "Because next time, I _will _defend myself."

Before anyone else could speak the elevator door opened, and, glad for an excuse to bring his own assault rifle up again, Shepard moved forward into the room beyond, leading his squad forward once more.

Like the entrance cavern before, this massive, square room was filled with dead Human bodies, all sporting the colors and logo of the Illusive Man's Cerberus organization. Computer equipment, furniture, and countless other items had been overturned and damaged during the fighting here, and looking around it was clear to Shepard that they were now accompanied only by the dead.

In silence the group crossed the room, eyes and weapons scanning the room for any possible signs of danger. There was only one other exit/entrance to the room, and that was an open set of blast doors on the far right side of the war-torn room, to which they were now crossing towards.

On the other side of the blast doors was a wide, short corridor which looked to lead into another room identical to the one they'd just left. The corridor was strewn with large, steel barriers jutting out of the floor, a defensive mechanism Shepard had seen before throughout his life and career. Each barrier came up to his chest, tall enough and wide enough for him to duck down behind and take cover during a firefight and thick enough to keep enemy bullets from reaching him.

Shepard waited at the first barrier as the rest of his squad joined him, and together they prepared-

The blast doors behind them suddenly slammed shut and immediately two dozen Human bodies rose up from behind the thick, protective bodies, weapons raised and poised, ready for combat.

"This is the end of the line for you." A man at the back said, his voice in a high-pitched accent that made each word crisp and perfectly clear. And with that, he opened fire with his rifle.

* * *

><p>[<strong>Location: <strong>Central Power Station, Great Eastern Desert}

(**Wayland - Gemini System - Phoenix Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

The shotgun blast echoed out so suddenly that Jacob never had time to flinch, never had the time to close his eyes...

However, the lethal blast from that deadly weapon never had time to touch him, for even as Pierce was pulling the trigger of his weapon Legion too was on the move, slamming himself into Jacob and sending them both crashing to the ground as Pierce's shot screamed high above them, where Jacob's face had been moments before.

Pierce moved, prepared to press his advantage, but Amy Williams too was on the move, a pistol now in her hands and firing off half a dozen shots at the traitorous Major Pierce, forcing him to fall back and take shelter.

The feeling in his body returned full force, and, knowing they were both in deep trouble, Jacob ordered Legion to find cover even as he scrambled over to hide behind a large bank of equipment as he too drew his pistol and prepared to return fire.

Additional shots echoed out, hitting the equipment behind which Jacob was hiding, and, his heart racing, he rushed to find a way to turn this now-lethal situation around. What, he asked himself frantically, would Shepard do if he were here...

"I'm an officer of the Systems Alliance!" He shouted. "Anyone who lays down their arms now can walk away with no more ever said about this!"

The shots continued their deadly barrage, but, to Jacob's relief, he noticed that at least one of the enemy guns had fallen silent.

"Chief Goldstein," Pierce barked angrily. "Either you repel invaders as ordered or I will take the appropriate disciplinary actions!"

"Sorry, Major, but you said we were all in too deep on this: if I can walk out without a court martial then I'll take-"

A single gunshot cut her off before she could ever finish her sentence.

"Let that be a lesson to everyone!" Pierce roared. "Anyone who shows any sign of cowardice will be treated as a deserter. Now fire!"

The barrage of gunfire opened up anew, and cursing to himself Jacob began working on a new plan of battle.

Off to his right Jacob watched as Amy Williams followed his lead and took cover behind a cluster of electrical equipment, pulling a grenade free from her waist and preparing to toss it...

Following her lead, now, Jacob freed his own grenade, and, catching her eye he counted to three with his free hand. Once he reached three he armed the grenade and together they tossed them blindly in the direction from which the gunfire was coming.

Seconds later the two grenades detonated, sending bodies, guns, and equipments flying in each direction, and, sensing the chance they'd been waiting for, Jacob vaulted from around his hiding spot and took aim, Amy and Legion moving to flank him.

A majority of Pierce's staff had taken the brunt of the grenade attack, as evident by the body pieces and fragments littering the room. A large, muscular man was still standing, just outside of the blast radius, and as he turned his weapon to fire both Jacob and Amy returned the favor, each placing a single shot to his chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

Now there was no one left standing, allowing Jacob to safely search the room for Pierce's...

Pierce was fighting to pull himself into a sitting position, and while he'd escaped losing any of his limbs or even his life, his right shoulder was pocketed by fragments of metallic instruments, likely from the damage the grenades had caused upon exploding.

"You won't take me alive, damn it!" Pierce shouted, scratching frantically for a discarded pistol only a foot away, but as his hands closed around the grip of the weapon Jacob placed his right foot directly on top of the Major's wrist and brought that foot crashing down with all of his weight...bones cracked and snapped as Pierce screamed out in agony and Amy sighted down the barrel of her weapon directly at his head.

"You're under arrest, _Major_." Jacob declared, holstering his weapon. "Now, who ordered you to connect the Mount Tantiss facility to the planetary power grid?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He answered, still trying his best to fight free of Jacob's hold on him.

"Yeah, I would." Jacob answered, lifting his foot off of the man's wrist. "Ensign Williams, watch over him: I'm going to contact General Shepard and inform him of what's happened."

"Aye, aye, Ell-Tee." She answered, standing her ground as covered the fallen Major.

Jacob turned and headed back towards the main lobby, remembering in the back of his mind that he'd seen a communications transmitter...

"Taylor-Lieutenant, take care!"

Legion shouted as a single gunshot echoed out across the battle-damaged room, and spinning around Jacob noticed a single wisp of smoke rising from Amy's gun, blood oozing from a hole in the middle of Pierce's head.

"He went for the gun with his free hand. I'm sorry, Ell-Tee, but I had no choice."

"Damn!" Jacob cursed, turning back once more for the lobby. Shepard's father would still have to assign a replacement staff to repair and man the Central Power Station, after all.

* * *

><p>[<strong>Location: <strong>Mount Tantiss, Major Northern Mountains, Great Western Plains]

(**Wayland - Gemini System - Phoenix Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy**)

Shepard stepped back as the man's attack was deflected by his armor's shields, praying that they didn't fully collapse the shields as he ducked behind the closest barrier.

"I will destroy you!" Jack roared, her voice louder and more dangerous than ever before. Before Shepard could prepare himself for what was about to come Jack released a wave of blue, crackling biotic energy, a whirlwind so powerful that anyone not a member of Shepard's squad was sent flying backwards, Jack's powerful attack doing exactly what she'd promised.

Shepard decided to take advantage of Jack's attack and vaulted over the barrier behind which he'd been hiding, charging forward towards the end of the corridor with his rifle raised, prepared to finish the job his biotic companion had started. However, by the time he'd reached the end of the corridor, pausing behind the final barrier, he realized that, with the rest of his squad now behind him, they'd secured the corridor.

Across the room was another lift, and when its doors opened a dozen more men and women, all sporting Cerberus armor, charged forward, weapons firing all the while.

Immediately Shepard returned the favor, popping off a quick burst of fire that found its mark in the head and neck of the lead Cerberus operative, overloading his shields and piercing his skull.

Behind him additional fire began blasting out as Shepard ducked behind the defensive barrier and peered around the side, continuing his pattern of snapping off short bursts of fire that hit the heads of his targets.

Duran's orange plasma ammunition, Shepard realized, was quickly becoming the deciding factor. While Shepard, Jack, and Garrus were having to spend several rounds of ammunition to break through the shields and armor being sported by their enemies, Duran's ammunition, which he'd once said was custom-made solely for his people, was burning right through both the shields and the armor below, eating its way right to the victim's vital organs.

"I'll kill you!" Jack roared, and again that crackling biotic energy washed out like a wildfire across the formation of Cerberus operatives, burning through their armor and bodies as it tossed them across the room like they were a child's toy.

Before Shepard and his squad could celebrate this latest victory and take advantage of it, however, that same lift door opened again and a dozen more Cerberus operatives came rushing out, guns firing as they took up the battle from their fallen comrades.

His rifle clicked empty, and ducking back down behind the barrier he popped the empty magazine out and hurriedly shoved a full one in its place. Once the magazine was secure and the rifle was again ready for combat, Shepard pulled a grenade from his belt and armed it, holding it for three dangerous seconds before standing back up and throwing it dead center of the cluster of Cerberus operatives.

It exploded before it ever hit the ground, sending bodies flying in every direction, and, sensing the blood in the water, Shepard vaulted over the barrier, his rifle sweeping the room and firing off volleys of three to five shots, killing anyone who might have survived the grenade's blast.

Garrus was right behind him, not bothering to use his sniper rifle's scope as he too began making sure that everyone they were leaving behind them was dead...by the time they reached the lift on the far side of the room, Shepard was confident that they were safe from being flanked...for the moment, at least.

The lift doors obediently opened as Shepard activated the control panel, and once the five of them were in it began to descend ever deeper beneath Mount Tantiss.

"So, Duran, once we find your sister, then what?" Garrus asked, holding his sniper rifle in both hands.

"I take her back home, where she belongs." He answered, as though it should have been obvious.

"And once she's home?" Shepard asked, joining the conversation.

"Then I come back and help you take out these Reapers." Duran answered. "Regardless of what I think about your species, Paragon, you'll have helped me make sure my people's future is secure, and you gained me a pardon that allows me to once more move freely through Citadel space, without having to kill anybody, and I gave you my word I'd do what I can to help out: I'm a Pyronian of my word."

"I thought you had no qualms about killing anybody, especially Humans." Sanders said. "Why would you care about moving freely through Citadel space without having to kill anybody?"

"Oh, I don't have an qualms about killing someone. I love to kill, I love to watch the life leave a being's eyes when I'm responsible for it, but bodies leave a trail, a trail that is counter-productive when you're trying to remain hidden in the shadows."

"I thought you said your people prefer to remain within your own space." Shepard responded.

"We do, but I also said, very rarely, there's a Pyronian who specializes in going out into the galaxy at large, and usually that Pyronian is a top agent of our Imperial government, such as me."

"You said you're sister is the heir to the throne." Shepard recalled. "Why not you?"

"It's supposed to be." Duran answered. "But I would kill myself before taking the throne. The Pyronians have only one philosophy by which we live: the strong rule and the weak follow."

"So you're saying you're weak." Sanders said. Duran, however, laughed.

"I'm one of the strongest Pyronians alive today. My sister is right under me in power, but if I take the throne then I am bound by tradition and Pyronian law. If I remain what I am now then I have more freedom with which to work and play."

"And what are you now?" Garrus asked. Again, Duran laughed.

"I have been given the Pyronian title of Marauder. As far as the throne is concerned I'm a rogue. I will follow orders if I feel I need to. Ultimately, however, I give myself my orders, no one else."

The lift doors opened and once more Shepard was on the move, his rifle once more up and sweeping from left to right as he led his squad into an empty, circular room filled with comfortable-looking furniture and computer terminals.

Just off to their left was a staircase leading up, and looking up above him Shepard noticed that the room had three additional floors to it. He took off for the stairs, his eyes and ears open for any hint of an ambush.

Up the stairs they went to the second level, and once there they began covering the wide walkway as it curved around the outer parameter of the massive circular room, and at the far end they climbed another flight of stairs to the third level, and on it went...as they reached the topmost level no one had yet opposed their moving forward.

Halfway down the topmost level, there were another set of heavy blast doors hanging wide open, giving Shepard and his squad no problems as they moved forward. The corridor beyond was massive, both wide and long, with another set of heavy blast doors (closed) at the far end...and this corridor was littered with Cerberus bodies lining the floor, so thick in some places that it was impossible not to tread on a corpse as they moved forward.

Judging from the wounds he could see, Shepard believed the bodies were fresh, killed not even a full hour before...many of the wounds were still leaking fresh blood.

"Damn Paragon, whoever did this is serious about making Cerberus pay." Duran said, his voice suddenly hoarse. "There's not a single Human left alive besides you, Girlie, and Baldly."

Shepard's mouth opened to respond, but before the words could leave his mouth the blast door opened, and at least two dozen armored men and women pulled out, Cerberus logos on their armor as they'd been on the armor of every other body littering the ground. Shepard took aim at the lead man, his fingers tightening around the trigger of his rifle...

"_Major Winslow, stand down!" _A man's voice shouted over the speakers built into the corridor's ceiling.

"With all due respect, Colonel Cole, these people have already killed-"

"_I am aware of our casualty rate, Major." _That voice answered. _"What'd you expect, sending our forces to attack Major Shepard and his party wearing _Cerberus _colors? Now, stand down and escort the Major and his team to me."_

"Colonel-"

"_That is an order, Major."_

"Very well, sir, but I do this under protest."

"_Duly noted. Now, move out, Major."_

"Yes, sir." The man answered, turning his gaze towards Shepard. "Follow me, Shepard. If you take one step out of line, I will order my men to open fire."

Not waiting for Shepard or any of his team to respond Winslow turned and took off through the now-open blast doors, leaving Shepard and his squad flanked by the rest of the Cerberus-dressed soldiers.

The corridor veered right only three yards past the blast doors, spilling into a large, square room with two levels to it, and as Shepard followed Winslow across the room and to another set of blast doors he noticed that the second level was teaming with snipers and fully-automatic turrets manned by heavily-armored men and women. Unlike the personnel following Shepard and his squad, however, these people were not sporting Cerberus colors.

Through the next set of blast doors was a small room with only an elevator in it, and as Major Winslow entered Shepard and his squad followed suit, followed immediately by half a dozen men and a single woman, and, with the lift now full past its capacity, the doors hissed shut and the elevator began its descent once more.

No one spoke as the lift continued falling ever deeper into the planet of Wayland, and Shepard couldn't help but wonder just how deep underground they now were...

A minute or so later the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open to again allow them out of the lift. Winslow led Shepard, his squad, and the escorting men and woman out of the elevator, down a large, wide, long corridor where two men flanked a heavy blast door that was closed with a blue energy shield covering it. As they approached the blast door the two men flanking the door snapped to attention, offering crisp, clean salutes as one used his free arm to deactivate the energy shield and open the blast doors.

On the other side of the blast doors was what could only be the facility's command center. There were two men inside of the room, one working on a cluster of naked wires while the other one carefully studied a monitor. The room itself appeared to have taken quite a beating during some previous battle, as proven by the damaged equipment and bodies littering the ground.

"Major Winslow," The heavy-set man studying the monitor said, not turning to face them. "What were your orders when we split our forces?"

"To hold my ground, no matter the cost, as I-"

"As you failed to do. That failure, however, is a mute point, no longer my main concern. What was the other half of your orders, Major?"

Silence.

"You are many things, Major Winslow, among them pig-headed and foolish, but stupid and forgetful are not among your failures. I will ask once more: what were the first half of your orders?"

"To not force any engagement." He answered angrily. "To fire only if fired upon."

"I must be stupid." The man said, still not turning to face Winslow. "I must be a novice when it comes to soldiering. Perhaps, Major, you can explain to me why the hell you gave orders to your Company ordering them to eliminate anyone still alive inside of this facility."

Silence.

"Major Winslow, you knowingly gave the forces under your direct command orders that disobeyed _my _express orders. Because of you the 66th has lost an entire Company fighting someone who is _not _our enemy. What you have done this day is the gravest of-"

"Shove it, Colonel." Winslow snapped suddenly. "Just shut your goddamn mouth, you scum-sucking son-of-a-bitch and charge me with disobeying a direct order so we can-"

"Disobeying a direct order would be retreating when I order you to charge, charging when I order you to withdraw. Giving orders that you _know _disobey a CO's orders is _treason_."

Winslow paled. "You wouldn't dare charge me with treason-"

"I just did." Cole finished, finally turning to face the Major. The man looked to be in his very early middle years, perhaps only five or six years older than Shepard himself. He wore standard Alliance-like armor, armor that was a dark green color. His weapons also looked standard, but dangling from his waist was what looked to be a ceremonial officer's sword from at least the twentieth century, perhaps even earlier. His hazel eyes held the spark of a natural leader, but behind that spark was the fully-engulfed inferno of anger. "Commander Lee!"

"Colonel?" An oriental-looking woman asked, moving forward to face her CO.

"I am hereby giving you a field promotion to the rank of Major; once this is over I will speak with General Hawthorne and suggest that the promotion be made permanent."

"I...thank you, Colonel-"

"Assemble a guard detail, Major Lee." Cole ordered. "Have them escort Winslow to the entrance cavern above and hold him there. If he attempts to escape, he is to be shot without preamble. Are my orders clear, Major?"

"They are, sir."

"Very well. _Major _Winslow, you are hereby relieved of your duties and pending the courts of martial you're under arrest."

Lee turned and chose a guard detail of four men and relayed Cole's orders to have Winslow escorted back to the entrance cavern.

"Major Shepard," Cole continued, turning to face the Human Spectre. "Colonel Wayne Cole of the Systems Alliance Marines, 66th Infantry Regiment." The man introduced himself, offering an old-fashioned salute where his hand was tilted upwards back towards his head, palm facing out, as opposed to more modern salutes where the hand angled downwards with the knuckles outward-bound. Shepard's blood froze, however, as he realized what Cole was getting at...

"The men and women we just killed were wearing Cerberus logos but they were really Alliance forces." Shepard stated, and with a sad frown the Colonel nodded his head.

"I'm afraid so, sir."

"I-we-killed Alliance-"

"Easy does it, Major." Cole interrupted. "_You _didn't kill my men; the responsibility for that lies with Winslow alone. My orders were clear, and yet he chose to change them as he saw fit. You were only doing what you've been trained to do, no more, no less."

"You're Alliance?" Garrus asked. "Then why the Cerberus colors?"

"A few hours ago one of our regimental scouts reported signs of Cerberus activity coming from Mount Tantiss during a routine recon assignment. He reported it to me and I immediately reported it to General Hawthorne, my immediate superior up the chain-of-command."

"She never reported it to General Shepard." Shepard answered, remembering his father being just as confused as the rest of them. Cole nodded his head.

"If she's on time she should be reporting it to him as we speak. She ordered me to assemble three of the 66th Regiment's Companies and neutralize any Cerberus forces as I see fit."

"Without investigating further?" Shepard asked. Cole nodded his head.

"Cerberus has officially been labeled a terrorist organization by both the Citadel Council and the Alliance."

"Meaning they're capture or destroy on sight."

"Exactly, sir." Colonel Cole answered. "General Hawthorne and I agreed that we needed to infiltrate the outer defenses of Mount Tantiss before opening fire, hence the Cerberus uniforms and colors. Once inside I ordered our Heavy Assault Squad, out of Company C, to open fire on their heavy defenses. I gave all Cerberus forces every opportunity to surrender peacefully."

"They didn't." Shepard guessed. Cole snorted, and suddenly his face looked tired, worn-out. "You saw the bodies littering the ground as you came up, Major." He sighed, a great sadness on his shoulders. "Their defense reminds me of stories about the Japanese warriors of Earth's Second World War. If they weren't traitors to Humanity I just might be impressed by their defense."

"_This is Staff Commander Jared Daniels calling Colonel Cole. Do you copy, Colonel?"_

Cole spun around, activating the consol just behind him. "Commander Daniels? Where's Major-"

"_He's down, sir. He got hit just a minute ago, sir."_

A look of angry pain coursed over the Colonel's face, but he did not echo it in his voice. "How bad?" He asked, forcing himself to remain calm.

"_He's dead, sir."_

"Very well, Commander: what's your situation?"

"_We've sustained severe casualties, sir." _The other man reported. _"We've been forced to fall back towards the Command Lift. I've ordered our remaining forces to rally and make a final stand, but sir..." _He paused for a moment before continuing. _"We can't hold them much longer; we need reinforcements. Company A has sustained total losses and Company B has lost approximately three quarters of its full capacity."_

"I'm sorry, Commander, but reinforcements are impossible; Company C has also sustained total losses.. We're currently working on establishing communications with the outside world to call in reinforcements, but for now we're on our own."

"_Then they'll sweep over us, sir; we can't stop them."_

"Withdraw, Commander." Cole ordered. "We'll fall back to the Officer's Lounge and set up an ambush for them there."

"_Negative, sir. We'll hold them here for as long as we can while the rest of our forces fall back. They may sweep over us, sir, but we'll by damn make 'em pay for every last inch they gain."_

"That's an order, Commander Daniels."

"_I-"_

The Commander's voice was suddenly transformed into static, and as Cole looked over at the young man working on the naked wires that young man just shook his head as he monitored his omni-tool.

"Sorry, sir, but the signal was cut off at the source."

"Major Lee!"

"Colonel?"

"I want you to go up top to the surface and personally contact Major Young via the extranet: I want the rest of the regiment brought up post haste! Also, inform General Hawthorne of our situation and inform her that we urgently require additional, _immediate_ reinforcements. Do you understand, Major?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Move out, Major!"

"Colonel," Shepard said, moving forward. "Where are your men currently at?"

"That elevator there is the Command Lift. Take it all the way down and you'll arrive in the facility's dungeons. The base commander and a contingent of his troops fell back through the dungeons. I split my forces up and two-thirds of them, two full Companies, to pursue what then appeared to be an inferior enemy." He snarled. "Why didn't I see it before: he obviously fell back to set some kind of trap."

"Can your men hold out until reinforcements arrive?"

Cole snorted. "We'll fight like the Japanese at Okinawa, but no, I doubt we'll be able to hold them."

Shepard turned to his squad, calm when he spoke. "Do you think we can turn the tide down below?" He asked, giving each of his companions a chance to voice their thoughts.

"Come on, Shepard." Garrus scoffed. "Reapers, Husks, Collectors, and cloned Krogan. If we can take them with only a ship then surely we can take some Humans with the five of us, no offense meant, of course."

"I didn't come here to run away like a bitch with my tail tucked between my legs. I came here to kill anyone wearing a fucking Cerberus uniform." Jack answered.

"Yeah." Duran added. "I could take them all with my eyes closed."

Shepard turned to face Sanders. "What about you, Corporal?"

"With all due respect, sir, I am here to follow your orders. If you say charge, I charge. If you say run like hell the other way, then I'll run like hell the other way, sir."

"Colonel Cole."

"Sir?"

"Colonel, I apologize my frankness, sir," the man who was still working on those exposed wires interrupted. "But if you're a Colonel and he's a Major, why are you calling him _'sir'_?"

"Come now, Private Henderson; didn't they teach you anything in basic, son? Major Shepard here is a Council Spectre, meaning his rank doesn't matter in this situation: if he tells me to jump I ask 'How high?'."

"Thank you, sir." Private Henderson answered, turning his attention back to his work.

"You were saying, Major?"

"My squad and I will provide your forces with support until reinforcements can arrive. What intel do you have on our target?"

"He goes by the alias Henry DeSotto, but his real name is Gerald Chambers..."

Shepard's heart froze in his tracks, and Colonel Cole obviously noticed it.

"That name ring a bell, Major?"

Shepard nodded, forcing himself forward. "He's a person of interest in another case I'm investigating."

"Hmmm...perhaps then 'tis fate that has brought you here, Major, if you're one to believe in such things." He turned back to the console once more.

"Colonel Cole to Commander Daniels, do you copy, Commander?"

Silence for a moment, and then...

"_Sorry, Colonel, but it's Lieutenant-Commander Forrester. Commander Daniels is hit, sir."_

"Dead?"

"_Negative, Colonel. He's alive, but just barely. I am preparing our forces to retreat as per your orders-"_

"Belay those orders, Commander." Cole answered. "You have backup en route now to reinforce your position. He outranks even me, Commander, so if he says off yourself then you do it. Am I understood?"

"_Yes, sir, I understand fully."_

"Major Shepard," Cole answered, shutting down the console. "I am taking the remainder of Company C back up. Private Henderson discovered a secret passage that appears to be capable of getting us behind the enemy lines. If true then we could flank them, open up another front, and perhaps we won't need reinforcements, perhaps we'll be able to press in on both sides until they're defeated." He offered another of his out-of-date salutes. "God speed, sir."

"You too, Colonel." Shepard answered, returning the gesture before leading his squad towards the Command Lift.

"Let's move!" Cole ordered, now on the move as well, and together the battered 66th Infantry Regiment and Shepard's fire team moved out, hoping they could at least buy the time needed for reinforcements to arrive.

The Command Lift was by far the largest elevator Shepard had ever seen before...it could have fit all of his special squad members inside with room to spare. As the rest of his comrades rushed in Shepard activated the panel on the side of the door and instantly the doors closed and the elevator began to descend so fast that it felt like a free fall.

Using the momentary lull they'd been given, Shepard briefly allowed his mind to roam. He couldn't help but wonder if Ashley had yet arrived at Sur'Kesh. Judging by his calculations, she should be arriving at the Salarian homeworld any time now. How bad, he wondered, was the situation there? It had to be dire if the Council was assigning one of their newest Spectres to intervene. Had they been injured already, perhaps even killed? Shepard sighed, wishing he'd had some form of contact already. Since the beginning of his mission against the Collectors, he'd gathered the greatest beings in their respective fields from across the galaxy, assembling a team against which no power had thus managed to stand. He'd become attached to every last member of his crew, even Grunt and Legion. He'd never put any of his squad directly under someone else's command, not in a situation like this, and especially not under the command of a woman who'd very recently broken his resurrected heart. And, while he'd never say it aloud, he was still questioning his decision to assign Grunt to assist Ashley. The genetically-engineered "Perfect Krogan" was as ruthless, brutal, and unpredictable as anyone Shepard had ever met before. Earning the Krogan's respect was next to impossible, and sometimes the most dangerous place on the field of battle was by his side. Had Ashley been forced into a situation akin to what he'd gone through with Urdnot Wrex on Virmire back during their pursuit of Saren? Had she been forced to injure or even kill the Krogan super soldier?

"_To be a good soldier you must love the army; to be a good commander you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love. We do not fear our own death, you and I, but there comes a time...we are never quite prepared for so many to die. Oh, we do expect the occasional empty chair, a salute to fallen comrades; we are prepared to lose some of us, but we are never prepared to loose all of us, and there is the great trap; when you attack you must hold nothing back, you must commit yourself totally…"_

He very nearly smiled as he silently recalled the words he'd told Ashley just before her departure from Wayland. Perhaps, he reprimanded himself, it was time he took his own advice. He loved his squad and crewmembers; as he'd said before, they were every bit as part of his family as his parents were. Yet, this was war, and whether he liked it or not he was their commanding officer: he had to be prepared to sacrifice that which he loved the most.

The elevator came to a screeching halt and a second later the doors slid open, spilling Shepard and his squad forward into what, for most of the 66th Infantry Regiment's survivors, had become a living hell.

A grenade exploded off to Shepard's left, sending small, lethal bits of the facility and the warriors within flying off in every direction, but even as a dismembered hand went zooming past Shepard's head the Human Spectre remained calm and collected, showing no outward signs of the fear that he knew was alive and well in the very bottom-most pit of his stomach.

"Jesus H Christ." A deep, heavily accented voice drawled, so loud it carried even over the din of battle, and even before seeing the voice's owner Shepard knew the man had likely grown up in the southern part of his family's own home country back on Earth, a place he'd never even visited before. "Colonel Cole said he was sending reinforcements but he said nothing about a damn Spectre."

The man turned and walked over to meet Shepard. He didn't run or jog, but he didn't merely walk, either: his movements were brisk, full of a sense of purpose and determination. The man offered a perfect, crisp salute.

"Lieutenant-Commander Theodore Forrester, 66th Infantry Regiment. I reckon it's an honor to finally meet you in person, Major Shepard; you're just in time for the party."

"Commander." Shepard greeted, hastily returning the salute. "What's your status here?"

"We brought our three smallest companies here to flush out any remaining Cerberus forces: I am now in command of the two that were ordered to advance through the sublevels. Company A has lost 63 of its 64 troops, and Company B has lost 54 of its 65 troops. In total, myself included, Major, I have twelve rifles left for the fight. My enemy seems to have at least two full companies at his command, though there may be more we have no idea about."

"Seventeen against a force composed of anywhere from one hundred and twenty to two hundred and forty troops." Shepard mused, his mind already working furiously on how best to even out the odds.

"Piece of cake." Duran answered, taking the time to switch magazines on his Pyronian assault rifle.

"We need to hit them hard, now." Shepard answered. "They have to have some idea on the damages you've already sustained, so they shouldn't be expecting much more resistance from you."

"Sir," Forrester answered. "We'll fight to the very last breath to hold our ground."

"Perhaps we won't have to." Garrus answered, obviously, Shepard was pleased to notice, picking up on the Spectre's line of thought.

"They're just around the corner there at the end of this corridor, correct, Commander?"

"Yes, sir, I'm afraid so. You saw how close that grenade came as you walked out."

"Order the rest of your Company to fall back to the Command Lift." Shepard ordered, the idea in his head now fully formed. "My team and I will hide inside of the Lift-"

"Retreat and hide like cowards?" Duran asked, a sudden, dangerous challenge to his voice. "Damn you, Paragon, I was hoping not to have to remove you from command-"

"Have your troops dig in behind this last line of barriers and then offer a surrender."

"Major?" Forrester asked, making it clear he was beginning to side with Duran. Shepard, however, nodded.

"Once I hear you give the cease fire and stand down command we'll exit the lift and the Jack and Duran can attack with their biotic powers." He said, turning from Duran to Jack. "You ready to take Cerberus down, Jack?" He asked. The bald woman smiled evilly. Shepard returned the smile.

"Was what you did earlier the best you have?"

"You've not seen a goddamn thing yet."

Shepard smiled, turning back to Duran. "You going to let a mere Human outdo you?"

"She'll die first." Duran answered. Shepard nodded his head as he turned to Garrus.

"Once Commander Forrester orders his forces to stand down and surrender," Shepard continued, turning back to face Forrester. "We'll come out and take them by surprise: they'll never see us coming. Once Jack and Duran have cleared the way we charge and drive them back on top of their commander. Garrus, follow us from a distance and use your sniper rifle to its greatest effect."

"Awe, you're so boring Shepard." Garrus joked.

"Loser buys the rest of the crew drinks every night for the rest of our stay here." Shepard proposed, drawing a smile from his Turian friend.

"You're on." Garrus, Jack, Duran, and, to his great surprise, Corporal Sanders, answered in unison.

"Corporal?" Shepard asked, turning to look at the young woman.

"Sir, there's not a single person on this planet who can out-drink me, man, woman, or otherwise."

"You're bold, Major." Forrester answered, interrupting the dialogue between comrades. "Unorthodox and maybe even crazy, sir, but you're bold."

"Move." Shepard ordered, motioning to the rest of his squad to fall back into the Command Lift as Forrester turned and rushed back towards the sound of gun fire and explosions.

Once inside of the elevator the lift's doors slid shut, and reaching over Shepard activated the lift's emergency shutdown command, throwing the elevator into total darkness, lit only by the glowing buttons on the panel beside the elevator doors.

No one spoke as the sound of a furious, frenzied battle edged ever-closer towards the Command Lift, and even when bullets began slamming into the door and walls of the elevator shaft, stopped only by the formidable armor protecting the elevator, Shepard never once flinched, nor, to his approval, did anyone else: even Corporal Sanders remained firm and ready.

Explosions rocked the facility as grenades began detonating just outside of the elevator, and it was Jack who echoed aloud the thoughts Shepard was having inside of his head.

"I hope your brilliant fucking idea doesn't end up getting us killed." She said angrily, though Shepard suspected part of that anger may be because she had yet to gain any form of revenge against the Cerberus troops now within firing distance.

_"Sixty-Sixth Regiment, hold your fire!" _Forrester ordered, his voice loud and full with the authority of his rank. _"Stand down: we lose this fight."_

_"Colonel-"_

_"We surrender!" _Forrester shouted, obviously speaking now to his enemy counterpart. Immediately, as per Shepard's plan, all gunfire ceased.

_"Lay down your weapons, now!"_

"Move out." Shepard ordered, hitting the door's release button as Jack and Duran moved up to stand on either side of him. The door slid open silently, and as Shepard exited the Command Lift once more, the entire universe slowed down to a near-stop, in one of those moments where one had all the time in the world to take the proper actions and yet no time at all.

"HOLY-" One of the Cerberus troops began to shout, but he never got the chance to finish that exclamation. A wave of heat so thick that it was hard enough to stand on washed over everyone in that room, and as bodies began glowing in either red or blue auras of energy the tide of battle slowly began its shift.

Bodies went flying everywhere as Jack and Duran unleashed their biotic powers directly against their enemies. Everywhere one looked necks were being snapped, bones broken, and vital organs crushed under the wait of such powerful energy.

Those Cerberus troops lucky enough to escape Jack and Duran's deadly assault opened fire on the nearest Alliance forces they could reach, and in response Shepard and Sanders opened fire simultaneously as, from behind him, Garrus began snapping of shot after careful shot with his sniper rifle...in the Turian's case, however, careful and slow were nothing alike.

Additional Cerberus reinforcements rounded the corner down the corridor and came charging headlong towards the badly outnumbered Alliance forces, but upon seeing the power and intensity of the combined biotic powers of Duran and Jack, they turned heel and fell back in a panicked mob, each man and woman fighting to get as far away as possible.

Shepard, in response, led Duran, Jack, and Corporal Sanders ahead, Garrus following several feet behind him, and as Shepard vaulted over the closest defensive barrier Forrester was right beside him, shouting as he ran.

"CHARGE!" He roared, and, as one, the remaining, battered troops of Companies A and B of the 66th Infantry Regiment rose and moved, creating an impressive, impenetrable wall of flesh and blood just behind Shepard and his team.

Shepard reached the corner and turned right, charging down the corridor where the surprised Cerberus troops were trying to turn back towards the Alliance forces and reform their lines in an effort to counter-attack the Alliance charge. Shepard, however, refused to allow it. Even as he tossed a grenade into the thick of the Cerberus formation Jack and Duran were right there next to him yet again, again clearing a mass of the Cerberus forces away with the combined power of their biotic abilities.

"So Shepard," Garrus said, spending the last round in his current clip. "That's number eleven for me."

"Yeah?" Shepard asked as his brother-in-arms reloaded his weapon. Shepard then took aim and fired off a series of short, quick bursts of fire, easily felling three Cerberus operatives moving to charge him. "That's thirteen for me."

A pair of grenades flew out of the Alliance ranks, and as it landed in the midst of the reforming Cerberus lines, a sphere of blue energy surrounded both devices and over three-quarters of the Cerberus forces...there was virtually nothing left of them a moment later, when the grenades detonated inside of Jack's biotic-generated sphere.

"That's thirty for me, so shut the fuck up." She said. Duran, not to be outdone, performed a nearly identical maneuver with two more grenades and all but two of the remaining Cerberus officers.

"Thirty-one, _dou'cheta."_

As the two remaining Cerberus operatives turned to fall back, now alone against the remainder of the Alliance forces, Jack took her heavy pistol into a two handed grip and fired a single shot; the woman on the left hit the ground, blood gushing out the back of her head.

"Thirty-one, bitch."

"Well, Garrus," Shepard said as the Alliance troops again charged forward. "It looks like me and you're fighting to see who doesn't end up buying the drinks."

The remainder of Companies A and B pursued the sole surviving Cerberus officer, who was running while also typing on her omni-tool, through a series of labyrinth-like corridors, twists and turns going in every which direction, and before too long Shepard led the Alliance forces into a square room with corridors going off in all four geographical directions: almost a hundred Cerberus men and women were there waiting on them, weapons poised and ready.

"Wait until the Illusive Man finds out we've caught the Traitor to Mankind." A man in the front said, a hungry smile on his face. "And Subject Zero to go right along with him."

"I'LL FUCKING KILL-"

Jack never got to finish her sentence, for it was at that precise moment that a massive explosion filled the square room, the heat of the flames so intense that they washed over Shepard like a heavy, sanitizing shower.

All remaining Alliance forces took refuge from the burning flames behind the barriers, but, Shepard realized, he had a wall of blue biotic energy in front of him, reinforcing a wall of crimson biotic energy: he hadn't the need to look in either direction to know both Duran and Jack had just saved his life.

As the smoke cleared only thirty Cerberus troops remained, with the rest being either dead or wounded, and as the Alliance forces behind him raised their weapons once more to finish the battle, a loud, powerful voice called out through the smoke and haze.

"All remaining Cerberus forces have one final chance to surrender peacefully. I can give you leniency if you lay down your weapons now: this is your only chance!"

None of the Cerberus survivors moved to comply.

"Then on your heads, be it! 66th Infantry Regiment, give 'em the black flag!"

The sound of every Alliance gun firing at once was so loud that it nearly deafened Shepard, who merely knelt down to the ground to get out of the line of fire of the men and women behind him: inside of half a minute it was all over.

The forces behind Shepard and his squad moved forward, unable to take a single step without treading on a Human corpse as they walked, and there, in the center of that large, square room, the remainder of Companies A, B, and C were reunited, cut down by approximately ninety percent of their original numbers.

"Major Shepard." Colonel Cole greeted, again offering that salute of his, a salute Shepard immediately returned. "I wish you could have arrived here much sooner, sir."

"I do too, Colonel." Shepard responded, looking sadly at the piles of bodies littering the area. "Do you know where the dungeons are?"

Cole nodded as he pointed at the corridor to Shepard's left. "Straight down that corridor, Major. Take the stairs at the end: it's impossible to miss."

"Care to accompany us?" Shepard asked, receiving a nod from the Colonel.

"Commander Forrester!"

"Sir?"

"Stay here and secure the parameter. Gather the wounded and do what you can while I accompany Major Shepard and his squad in arresting Chambers."

"Sir, yes sir!" Forrester answered, snapping to attention. Cole returned the gesture and then turned to follow Shepard and the rest of his squad.

There was no one to resist the six of them as they marched in silence down the corridor, weapons still raised and at the ready. Down the stairs they went, turning right a moment later at the corner. A pair of men were guarding a heavy set of blast doors at the far end of the corridor, and as Shepard and his squad approached they raised their weapons...two simultaneous shots, one from Shepard and one from Cole, quickly made sure they could not follow through with their plans. Now, Shepard felt his heart begin to race: there was no longer any opposition between him and Kelly's father.

Sanders rushed forward and activated the door's control console, forcing the doors to open up at the perfect time: Shepard never broke stride as he entered the room, followed closely by two of the galaxy's most dangerous beings right behind him.

"Well, well, well." A deep, masculine voice laughed. "They sent a goddamn Spectre after me; I must have made someone high enough really pissed at me."

"Gerald Chambers?" Shepard asked, turning to face the large, bulky man who had not a single hair on his head.

The man spat. "Don't insult me, you traitor. Chambers fled the moment Alliance troops entered the mountain: left me in command of our forces to take the fall while he escaped."

"Where's my sister, you _dou'cheta_?" Duran asked, moving towards the man, who quickly held his hand up, palm outwards.

"Take another step, Pyronian, and she dies." He said, using his free hand to pull a remote device free of his clothes. Off to the right a wall slid upwards, revealing a small cell which held only one person, a woman.

Her skin was pale compared to Duran's. She had blood-red hair that fell down past her legs, and she wore a regal, royal-looking dress of gold that clung perfectly to her figure: not too tight nor too loose. Her eyes were blindfolded and a gag was firmly in place over her mouth while a pair of binders bound her wrists and ankles.

"You're dead-"

"Take one more step and she dies." He countered, squeezing the remote with all his strength. "Look closely, Pyronian. This remote is pressure sensitive: if I let go or press the little red button the floor of her cell will open, spilling her out into the cavern you see behind me. You, woman," He said, motioning at Sanders. "Come and see what's directly under her."

"Major?"

"Do it, Corporal." Shepard ordered. Sanders nodded and moved forward to the observatory windows, looking down as she approached. She looked back up slowly, her face a mask of confusion.

"What is it, _ver-gyn_?" Duran growled.

"Water, sir."

"Water?" Shepard asked, feeling like he was about to laugh. Duran, however, cursed. The man smiled.

"You Pyronians are nearly immune to fire and lava, but water and coldness are your great weakness. We're nearly six miles below ground, Pyronian: how cold do you think that water is?"

"Too cold."

"She'd die in a matter of minutes, if not sooner." He agreed. "Now, here's what we're going to do, kids: you're all going to let me walk out of here, alive and unharmed. Once I reach the surface this remote will lose signal with the cell, rendering it useless: she'll be yours to free. Anyone follows me, and she dies: are we clear?"

"Go." Duran said, his voice more an animalistic growl than anything else. "Get out of my sights, before I decide the trade's worth it."

The man smiled as he backed up, Shepard and the rest of his squad parting to give the man a free path through their numbers.

"Colonel Cole to Commander Forrester. A Cerberus operative will soon be passing by: under no circumstances is anyone to open fire on him or impede his retreat. Inform anyone that should anyone do so I will execute them for treason and murder: are we clear?"

"_Yes, sir."_

"Much obliged, Colonel."

And without saying another word the man was gone. As Cole ordered Forrester to inform him once the unnamed man had passed them, Duran rushed over to begin work on opening his sister's cell door.

A minute later, Forrester's voice again filled the room.

"_He's headed for the Command Lift Major."_

The moment Forrester spoke Duran screamed a primal roar of fury, and to Shepard's horror he watched as the cell floor opened up, spilling the helpless Pyronian princess, who, Shepard noticed, had large, cement bricks tied to her feet, into the endless chasms below.

Always a man of action, Shepard dropped his rifle and charged the glass observatory window, and, only gaining speed, he launched himself straight through the glass, shattering it into a billion pieces as he reached out and grabbed one of the falling shards of glass, and he too began his free fall, the Princess only feet below him as they both plunged towards their coming watery tomb...

The icy coldness of the water engulfed Shepard as though it were some raging inferno, numbing his body to its pain and penetrating his bones to such a degree that it paralyzed him, making it impossible for him to swim deeper and reach the now-dying Pyronian Princess. His muscles would not obey the commands his brain was giving them, as though the icy coldness had the power to override such authority...

Shepard forced his mental will on his muscles, forcing them to obey the commands his physical brain was giving his body, and finally, knowing time was against him, Shepard began the descent downwards deeper into the underground lake, the still form of the Pyronian Princess now trapped along the lakebed, waiting for rescue.

Shepard put every last reserve of strength he had into reaching her as soon as he could, and the moment he reached her he began using the shard of glass in his hand to cut her free of the bricks holding her down.

Once finished Shepard allowed the glass to slip away as he turned the Princess around and wrapped his right hand around her, holding her tight around the middle of her torso as he used his legs and free arm to propel him back towards the surface.

Even through her dress and his armor he could feel her skin growing ever colder, and, if what that Cerberus officer had claimed, then for a Pyronian that was a lethal thing. Shepard's own bones seemed to grow heavier and more unresponsive as he swam, and looking up he could see the surface clearly, now only a few feet away...

He gasped the fresh oxygen-rich air hungrily into his body like a man who'd gone a year without water to drink, and, regaining some of his strength, he forced his way to the dry shoreline, never once allowing his grip on the Princess of Pyronia to loosen.

He flung her onto the dry ground and joined her, ignoring his body's condition as he quickly began looking the young woman over. She was no longer pale but a dark blue, and her lips were beginning to turn purple as her eyes remained closed. Checking her neck he noticed she had a weak, sporadic pulse, which, to his relief, meant she was still alive...for the moment.

"Major Shepard!" Cole's voice pierced the air. "You okay, sir!"

"We need a medic, now!" Shepard shouted back.

"I'm sorry, sir!" Cole said as he tossed a long length of rope down to the Spectre. "But our medic is dead! Let's get her to the surface and we'll signal for emergency evac!"

A blue aura of energy began to glow around Duran's sister, and looking up Shepard noticed Jack was now standing next to Colonel Cole, using her biotic powers to lift the other woman's body back up to them, leaving Shepard free to climb the rope upwards and join them, something he wasted little time in doing.

Cole and Garrus each reached down to help pull Shepard up back through the window as he reached the end of the rope, and immediately Shepard noticed Duran was missing.

"Where-"

"The moment you went through the glass he took off for that sorry sack of shit, sir." Sanders answered.

Nodding his head in understanding, Shepard turned and took off at full speed back towards the Command Lift, leaving Garrus, Sanders, Jack, and Cole, who was now carrying the injured Princess on his shoulders, to race after him.

All the way back through the Mount Tantiss facility Shepard ran after Duran, but nothing: there was no sign of Duran...at least, not until Shepard reached the entrance cavern. At that time the sound of screams and shouts began to slowly fill Shepard's ears.

Just outside of the cave Shepard could see clearly what was causing all the noise: five acres of the plains directly below Mount Tantiss were burned to a crisp, Alliance forces numbering into the thousands surrounding the area as Duran stood calmly in the middle of the wasteland, unaffected by the dying flames and scorching heat.

"Do you remember what I said in the lift earlier, Paragon?" Duran asked dangerously. Shepard nodded.

"I do."

"Where's my little sister?"

"She's alive, but barely. She needs medical attention-"

"She needs _me. _Bring her to me, Paragon, now."

Shepard nodded and turned to Cole, motioning for him to bring Duran's sister to them. Once there Cole laid the Princess gently on the ground, and a moment later the few remaining flames had zipped through the air, conforming themselves to perfectly outline the Princess's body. The flames then roared to life and sank fully into the girl's body...her eyes fluttered open as her skin returned to its natural orangish-red coloring, her long hair now a beautiful shade of silver.

"You foolish little _ki'duko'gal._" Duran answered, his voice now that of an exasperated parent. "You still have so very much to learn before you ascend the throne."

In response the girl reached up and punched him, the impact of her assault so strong that it snapped Duran's neck around. Instead of being angry, however, he merely smiled.

"That's my _sal'nad." _He said, standing up to face Shepard.

"Well, Paragon, you've yet to fully gain my respect, and, honestly, I doubt you ever will. However, you've gained my full trust."

"A rare enough thing, Human, made even rarer for a _ver-gyn._"

"Major Kitch Shepard, this is the heir to the Empire of Pyronia, Aurora Zar Zi'Detreo Dregan. Sis, this is Paragon."

"Ah, the famous Human Hero." The girl answered. "I owe you my life then, Major Shepard. I am indebted to you."

"Major Shepard, Colonel Cole." A woman's voice said, bringing Shepard back to Wayland, where Shepard noticed most of the newly arrived Alliance Forces were now dispersing, likely to secure the area. Dressed in full uniform, the woman that approached them was, by any standards, beautiful. Her black, bobbed hair swung as she walked, and behind her brown eyes lived the fiery intensity of a career military officer. On each shoulder she wore a single golden star, and finally Shepard had a face to go with the name.

"General Hawthorne." The men answered in unison, offering a salute that she never bothered to return.

"Would one of you two mind telling me what the hell I just saw?"

"Ma'am?"

"I'm saying, Major Shepard, that I've never seen anything like this. One moment I'm bringing in reinforcements and watching an unknown subject chase a Cerberus officer, and the next I'm ordering my men to fall back because the plain just south of Mount Tantiss is ablaze. _He_," She said, gesturing to Duran. "Began laughing like a maniac, and then he began to glow, and suddenly there were flames all around him, yet he's untouched."

"He's a Pyronian, and a member of my crew." Shepard answered, causing the woman's eyes to go wide.

"I thought Pyronians were extinct."

"Shows what you know." Jack and Duran answered in unison, causing Hawthorne to glare at them both. "Then who is she?" She asked, gesturing to Duran's sister. Before Shepard could answer, however, Aurora was doing it for him.

"I am the Princess of the Pyronian Empire, General." She replied. "Your forces have saved my life, and for that I am truly grateful."

Shepard had thought the General's eyes could get no wider: he'd been wrong.

"Jesus H Christ." She muttered softly.

"I need transportation to get her out-system so that we can rendezvous with an escort fleet from Pyronia and return the Princess to her people." Duran said, offering his sister a hand up to her feet.

"I'll contact General Shepard and Admiral Bates, see what we can do. Of course, General Shepard will have to clear it first." Hawthorne answered, turning to face Cole.

"I hear you've suffered casualties, Colonel. How heavy?"

"Almost total losses for all three Companies, General."

She shook her head sadly, and from the look in her eyes Shepard knew she was forcing herself to not cry at such heavy losses. Again his mind recalled his parting words to Ashley...

"..._We are never quite prepared for so many to die. Oh, we do expect the occasional empty chair, a salute to fallen comrades; we are prepared to lose some of us, but we are never prepared to loose all of us..."_

"I'll contact High Command and begin the process of refilling the three Companies. You did well in surviving, Colonel, as did your men." Hawthorne turned to Shepard. "If what the preliminary reports suggest is true, Major Shepard, then we owe you a great deal. After all, Cerberus has taken a heavy blow here today."

Shepard felt himself sigh as he realized he was soaking wet and cold: it was still only morning, and already today had been a long, long day. If this was any cue, the rest of the day didn't look any better...

By the time Shepard returned to the Consulate, late into the afternoon, he realized that his earlier fear that the morning's battle was only the prelude to a bad day had been rather close to being on the mark. He'd read the reports from Jacob's expedition to the Central Power Station, followed by Miranda's report on her trip to Hope's Way, and the only good thing he felt had come out of either report was that Kelly had, apparently, been telling the truth. Her brother's body had been precisely where she'd said it would be and was even now being examined and awaiting only a DNA match to prove it and make it official, and her father, which Shepard had yet to tell Kelly, had been in charge of the local Cerberus cell here on Wayland, meaning he was indeed still alive.

At the moment, however, his main focus was Tali. Word of the battle with Cerberus and the heavy Alliance casualties had spread across the military planet like some kind of plague, meaning that no matter where Shepard went he was being hailed as a hero of even greater magnitudes than he'd been before. This also meant, however, that Tali, having spent most of her day aboard the damaged _Normandy_, had likely heard of what had transpired, and as such Shepard felt it would be only right for him to personally let her know that he was okay. However, waiting outside of her customized suite, he knew something was wrong.

"Tali," He said into the comm unit on the wall next to her door. "It's Shepard: can I come in?"

"_Go away, Major." _She said hoarsely, and immediately Shepard knew something was wrong: she almost _never _called him Major. Knowing that she might not be too happy with him forcing his way into her personal quarters, Shepard still entered the command that opened the door and walked forward, standing patiently as the door closed behind him and the decontamination process began, and even as the inner door opened minutes later he was still trying to figure out why she would be mad at him.

"I said go away you _bosh'tet!" _Tali roared as Shepard entered, and immediately Shepard's suspicion that he'd done something wrong, though he might not know what that crime was, had been confirmed.

"Tali-"

"How could I ever believe that a _tor'sath _like you would ever choose someone like me and mean what he says and does is beyond me." She continued in a rant, not giving Shepard a chance to speak.

"Tali-"

"I gave myself to you!" She interrupted again, not slowing down. "I gave you _everything _I held most dear, and you repay me with betrayal!"

"Betrayal?" Shepard asked, now dumbstruck by the young Quarian woman. He could think of nothing he'd done to warrant such an accusation, except...

"Tali," He said quickly and loudly. "If this is about me not taking you with me to Mount Tantiss-"

She spun around and marched angrily towards him, forcing him to back up, his mind not even registering what he was doing.

"After what you did I was hoping you'd have died!"

Shepard stopped dead in his tracks: with such strong words he knew that, whatever the crime he supposedly committed might be, it was beyond serious...

"What exactly did I do, Tali?" He asked, rushing his words before she could cut him off.

"You did not just ask that." She growled, and not for the first time Shepard had the feeling he was taking a test he'd not studied for.

"You good-for-nothing _usl'sa yze tabb_!" She roared, and Shepard suddenly felt that, for the first time, with him now unarmed and with no armor over his Alliance uniform, he might actually need to defend himself from Tali, and again she was backing up all over her room. "You not only stab me in the back but you insult me by pretending you're innocent!"

"I'm not pretending to be innocent, not yet." Shepard answered. "But if I don't know what I'm being accused of then I can't confess, not honestly-"

Her next words left no doubt in Shepard's mind what was happening behind the visor of Tali's enviro-suit. She was, he knew, crying, and the pain and anguish in her voice was so tangible, so heavy, that he could walk on...this was an entirely new level of danger that was beyond even the combined biotic powers of Jack and Duran.

"I LOVED YOU, YOU FUCKING _TOR'SATH!" _And with those enraged words, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy had closed the distance between them, a blur of alien motion as she launched herself at the Human Spectre as her fists began pounding heavily on every available inch of him they could find.

If he had been shocked before, he was being electrocuted now. Not only had he never heard Tali use a Human curse word before, a word he usually only heard from Jack, but she was attacking him, and, he suddenly realized, there was real, physical strength behind each of the hits that found their mark.

His first instinct was to fight back, to defend himself, but for once Shepard found himself fighting his training, refusing to allow himself to return fire. Instead, he stood his ground, allowing Tali to attack unrestricted. He had been conditioned well during his years of service to the Alliance, and while his body screamed out in protest against the attacks he allowed himself to weather the furious Quarian thunderstorm, taking each and every shot she could muster without returning the favor.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, though, Shepard knew, in reality it had only been several minutes, her strength began to fade and her punches and kicks began to miss their mark and the ones that did find their target only had a fraction of their former power behind them.

Finally confident that it was safe for him to move, he reached out and grabbed the young Quarian woman into his arms, kneeling down so that they were eye-level.

"Tali." He said, his voice calm and even, kind. "You just gave me the ass-kicking of my life. Can I at least know what I did to deserve it?

"I-" She posed, likely, Shepard told himself, to compose herself. "I found the message Ashley sent you after your mission to Horizon."

Suddenly it all made perfect sense, and, realizing that perhaps he should have mentioned said message, Shepard told himself he'd deserved Tali's wrath. However, the way Tali had mentioned Ashley's name actually shot a trickle of fear down Shepard's spine.

"Tali-"

"I trusted you, Shepard." She interjected, not letting him speak. "I was so stupid, but I gave you all of me, and in turn-" She paused, and suddenly Shepard was afraid he'd just felt her anger return, en masse. "I trusted you, you-you-you..." She paused to search for the right word. "You _fre'eg!"_

"Tali, I'm sorry I didn't mention the message before, though now I clearly know I should have."

"You-"

"Hush." Shepard said kindly, allowing just a little of his normal tone-of-command to seep in. "You've had your rant and now I will say what I need to say." He paused, thinking on how best to put the coming words in the right context.

"Tali, you read the message then you know it was only an apology for what she said on Horizon. Did you find any kind of reply to her message?"

Tali shook her head. "I didn't look."

"Look, if you want." Shepard answered. "You won't find one, Tali, because I never sent a response. I accepted her apology, and I moved on with my life. I found you, Tali, and from the moment you returned to the _Normandy _I was yours, lock, stock and barrel."

"You still have feelings for her." Tali accused, but, to Shepard's pleasure, her voice had lost some of its angry edge. Shepard never hesitated with his response.

"In some small way, I do."

"You _bosh'tet!" _She screamed, renewing her attack on his body. This time, however, Shepard did defend himself. He grabbed Tali by the waist and moved her forward, minding his strength as he planted her firmly onto her bed.

Knowing that she could very well harm him if given the chance, he straddled her, pinning her body to the bed as he grabbed each of her wrists in his own hands, making it impossible for her to fight back.

She struggled for several minutes, trying with all her might to break free of his grasp, but finally, unable to do so, she stopped.

"I'm going to let go of your arms, Tali, and as long as you don't attack me I let you up, okay?"

She said nothing but nodded her head. In return, Shepard let go of her arms. Instead of getting up, however, he reached down and, remembering the last time he'd done this, he expertly released the clamps that held her visor in place.

"What-"

Before she could finish her sentence, however, Shepard had pulled the visor completely free of her suit, lying it aside as he once again studied her face.

Her skin was a light, creamy, beautiful shade of violet. Her eyes, a perfect blend of sapphire and violet, were topped by beautiful, naturally thick lashes that most human women, Shepard knew, would die for. They also, he knew, matched her dark blue hair perfectly, as did the thin eyebrows above her eyes.

Staring down into those deep blue/violet eyes, Shepard saw something that nearly made his heart crack wide open. She was scared.

"Tali," He said, not looking away from those eyes. "I've been in the Alliance Marines since I was old enough to enlist. I've been with my share of women during my career, but not until Ashley was I ever able to say I loved them. I'm not saying I was in love with Ashley, because I don't know. There was, however, something there, something that will die only when I do. That, I believe, is part of being Human.

"She apologized to me following what happened on Horizon, and I know she wanted a second chance. I thought about giving her that second chance Tali, but then came Haestrom, and I knew even then that I'd not be giving Ashley a second chance, that perhaps I'd been wrong in giving her even the first chance.

"Look, Tali, when I said I wanted you, I meant it. You might not have know about that message, but I did, and despite that I chose _you _over _her_. I knew I could have Ash back if I wanted it, but I wanted _you_, Tali. Ashley is still my friend, and she will always be my friend: what we shared can never be changed."

Shepard sighed. "You affect me, Tali, you affect me in a way that no one else ever has. You make me happy, Tali, you make me truly happy. Even during our darkest hour you'll do something cute or say something that sounds so innocent, and through that dark you shine a light that it can't take out. It's like I'm a little boy who's afraid of the dark and your light makes me feel safe, and secure. Tali, that's a gift only the greatest people, of any species or race, can possibly have.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about that message. I should have, I know, but I didn't think about it. It was insignificant to me, so insignificant that I'd forgot it even existed until you mentioned it. I saved it because it was from a friend who wrote it from her heart, and I wanted to remind myself of we both were now."

"But you took Ashley with you. Aboard the Pyronian ship at Earth-"

"That made you think I wanted Ashley back?" Shepard asked, stunned. Tali, in turn, nodded her head.

"I took Ashley with me because she'd just been made a Spectre, and I was afraid perhaps she'd been assigned by the Council to sabotage our efforts. I figured if I took her and Duran with me, neither of whom I fully trusted at the time, then I could keep a closer eye on them. Their betrayal, with my people's homeworld at risk, was not something I wanted to risk. And," He added, hoping she'd not take the next part out of context. "I was heading into the Hornet's nest: I wanted you away from that, somewhere safer."

"So you sent me with Garrus and Kasumi."

Shepard nodded his head. "I trust Garrus with my life: he's like my brother: I knew he'd watch out for you."

"And that's why you didn't take me to Mount Tantiss or assign me to any of the other teams."

Shepard nodded his head again. "I nearly lost you three times in less than a full day: I wanted you safe for a little while, doing something you enjoyed."

"I'm sorry." She said finally, tears glistening in her beautiful eyes. "I don't even know why I'm so emotional, but I am, and I acted like a foolish _fre'eg._"

"A what?"

Tali thought for a moment. "In your language, it would translate most closely to the term 'dingleberry'."

Shepard snorted, trying his best to laugh, succeeding, unlike Tali, who was suddenly laughing uncontrollably.

"Can you forgive me, Shepard?" She asked a few minutes later, once she'd calmed down enough to speak.

"Maybe." He answered playfully. "On one condition."

"What?"

"Stop calling me by my last name."

"Okay..._Kitch_."

He smiled as he moved his face closer to hers, but the next words took him completely by surprise.

"I love you."

Shepard felt his breath catch: for three such little words, those words suddenly held the weight of the universe, and more, on them. Shepard wondered, just briefly, if he felt those same feelings, and to his surprise the answer was right there, has if it had been there since the moment he'd been born.

"I love you too, Tali." He answered. Those five words rolled off of his tongue easier than anything he'd ever said before. Those five words were more natural to him, it felt, than any battle command he'd ever given. Those five words made the entire campaign against the Reapers, from Eden Prime to Horizon to the Omega Four Relay to Earth, perfectly worth it.

He bent down, closing the distance between their faces, and with the same smooth grace with which he walked into the fires of combat he pressed his lips against hers.

The effect was far greater than anything Shepard could ever remember feeling, greater even than the first kiss they'd shared while aboard the _Normandy_ on the eve of their final confrontation against the Collectors.

Her lips were cool and wet, and he could taste the remnants of her tears, but the taste of her lips alone were enough to make him drown. Such power flowed through such a simple action that suddenly everything that had recently happened was washed away as though they'd never happened.

Not wanting the moment to end, Shepard nevertheless broke the kiss, pulling his head up so that he could better see her face. Her eyes, he was pleased to see, had replaced that fear with joy and acceptance, and, smiling now, Shepard sat up on the bed and pulled Tali up beside him. The look on her face, however, silenced Shepard's smile.

"Are you okay?" He asked, looking her over carefully. She nodded weakly, and in turn Shepard, like his mother had done so many times when he'd been a child, placed the back of his hands gently against Tali's forehead.

"No, you're not." He answered, making it sound more like an accusation. "Tali, you're burning up."

"I-I'm..." She paused for a moment. "Imfine." She rushed, slurring the words together as Shepard jumped off the bed, looking for the immuno-boosters Mordin had given her days before. Believing she was fine, Tali followed suit.

"I-"

That was all she got the chance to say, for in the next instance Tali was falling to the floor, with nothing between her and it. Spinning around, Shepard rushed to the fallen woman, and it took him not even a minute to know what she needed. After sending an alert for a medical shuttle, Shepard turned and immediately got to work returning Tali's discarded visor back to her enviro-suit; she'd need it, he knew, if she was going to be taken out of the room...

Several hours later, Tali had been cleared by the Alliance Medical facility in the heart of the planet's capital city of Phoenix, and, with her diagnosis now official, Shepard led Tali up the steps to the nice mansion-style home that his parents currently shared. Even through the still-new numbness of what the local medics and doctors had discovered was wrong with Tali, Shepard had to admit that this was, by far, the nicest accommodations he knew of his parents having ever enjoyed during their years of servitude to the Alliance.

A pair of guards flanked the front door, and as soon as Shepard and Tali reached the top steps the pair, a man and a woman, snapped to attention as they opened the door for the pair of visitors, and, returning the salute in a lazy-kind-of-way, Shepard took Tali's left hand and led her inside.

His parents entered the circular waiting room from the far side, each dressed in their appropriate uniforms. A woman with medium-length hair that nearly perfectly matched his own and piercing hazel eyes walked forward, her rank bars giving her the rank of Captain...and immediately Shepard realized that he was now at the same rank as Captain Hannah Shepard, something he'd have been sure would never happen.

"Mom-"

Before he could finish his sentence, however, his mother's small palm had landed neatly against his left cheek with so much power behind it that it snapped his head in the other direction.

"_That _is for getting spaced!" She shouted, and before Shepard a chance to respond her other palm had mocked the first's actions, with enough force behind it to snap his head in the other direction.

"And _that _is for making me find out third hand from Alliance brass that my little boy is still alive."

She then moved forward, wrapping the much larger man up in a hug that was far too strong for a woman of her size.

"And this is for still being my son." She said, her voice having suddenly lost its angry edge.

"I love you too, mom."

"Trust me son, you got off easy compared to me."

"What'd _you _do?" Shepard asked as his mother finally let him go.

"Well, apparently my orders were to restrain you and hold you firm until your mother got back. I don't think I ever got that particular communiqué."

Kitch Shepard laughed as he turned to face Tali, who'd thus far remained silent.

"Tali, this is my mother, Captain Hannah Shepard. Mom, this is Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Chief Engineer aboard the _Normandy_-"

"And you're girlfriend." The other woman finished, moving forward to embrace the Quarian. Shepard opened his mouth to protest, but his father cut him off.

"Don't even try to lie to her, son." Matthew Shepard said with a laugh. "She's like a shark in the water."

Shepard closed his mouth, no longer sure that pointing out the fact that the two weren't officially dating yet was such a good idea, not with what Shepard knew they'd later be confessing to his parents.

"Come on," Hannah Shepard ordered, leading her husband, son, and Tali into the room from which the husband/wife couple had appeared from minutes before. "I've cooked dinner, and I even managed to make something for dextro-protein systems like Tali's."

"T-Thanks." Tali stammered. "You really didn't have to-"

"Nonsense." Hannah scoffed as they entered the large kitchen where a table of food was lying in wait for them. "I won't dare allow us to feed our faces while you get nothing."

Nearly an hour later the dinner with his family was going far better than the youngest Shepard could ever have imagined. Tali, who was now in love with his mother's cooking, was being an ever-active party to the conversation, sharing her share of laughs and jokes as they ate.

"He was such a cute little boy." Hannah was saying, trying to hold back the laughter. "There was one time I decided to take him with me aboard the ship I was serving on, the _SSV Edison_. I was standing with the Captain and our XO in the CIC, watching as Kitch, who could only have been five at the time, was running around with his toy rifle, pretending he was a Marine, like his daddy, repelling boarders to protect his mommy. Oh, it was so cute."

Shepard, knowing full well he was blushing now, filled his face with a roasted game he knew little about, other than the fact he liked how it tasted, hoping this story wouldn't be the death of him.

"Yeah, you say that _now_." Matthew Shepard joined in, his plate now clean. "If memory serves, you weren't so happy that day."

"What happened?" Tali asked, looking between Shepard and his parents. Hannah laughed even harder.

"Remember that toy rifle I mentioned?"

"Yes."

"Well, it wasn't as much a harmless toy as we thought."

Tali groaned. _"Keelah-"_

"He aimed down the corridor to the Bridge and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet straight into our navigational controls. Fried most of our control systems, engaged the FTL Drives, and sent us straight at a Black Hole. We came three seconds from dying that day."

"You didn't." Tali said, turning to face Shepard.

"And, after it was all over, this five-year old little boy turns around to Captain Dei, calm as can be, and says 'Captain, sir, borders have been repelled.'. I thought the old man was going to have a stroke right there in the middle of the CIC."

"_Shepard!" _Tali said, sounding slightly scandalized, and Shepard furiously shook his head.

"That's not it at all." Shepard defended himself, sitting his utensil down on the side of his plate. "See, what happened was there was this other Kitch, an evil Kitch, and I, uh, I killed him."

Hannah offered a sad smile, as though thinking of something she'd prefer not to think about. "Sometimes I wonder how wise we were for raising our only child in the military, not giving him the life of a normal little boy."

Shepard's next words escaped his mouth, and not until after he had finished speaking did he realize what he'd just done.

"I don't know how Tali and I are going to do that with our new child, either."

He gasped as he realized what he'd just said, and in that instant it was as if the very fabrics of the space-time continuum had frozen.

"What? Did? You? Just? Say?" His mother asked, making each word its own question. Kitch sighed: now there was no way to avoid it, and for the first time he was glad Tali's face was hidden behind the visor of her suit.

"Earlier," He explained rapidly, pretending to himself that this was just a charge he was having to make on the most fortified enemy position to ever exist. "Tali fainted and so I had a med shuttle take her to the closest medical facility. They performed a battery of tests and confirmed she was pregnant."

"Tali doesn't seem like the kind of girl to do that with just anyone." Hannah answered, offering a brief, kind smile to the young woman before she turned to face her husband.

"Did you hear-"

"That we're going to be grandparents?" He finished, rubbing his eyes as hard as he could. "This beats all I've ever seen...I thought reproduction between Quarians and Humans was impossible."

"It's possible." Hannah answered. "Human and Quarian anatomies are similar enough."

"Right." Kitch agreed. "The doctors say they've never heard of it before, so once Dr. Solus returns from Sur'Kesh he's going to give us the information we need."

"How long is a Quarian gestational period?" Matthew asked, turning from his wife to Tali.

"Between twelve and thirteen months." Tali answered. "Because of our weaker immune systems the Quarian body and the fetus need longer periods of time to safely and properly develop."

"Meaning she'll be able to remain aboard the _Normandy _for almost the entire period of time." Shepard paused, a new thought entering his mind then.

"What did you just think of?" His mother and Tali asked, in unison, receiving a laugh from the two men.

"Perhaps, if we're lucky enough, this Reaper invasion will be finished before the baby's born."

Hannah and Matthew looked at each other, as though they'd been afraid this conversation would finally creep up on them.

"Scuttlebutt has it," Hannah said slowly, choosing her words. "That you've been brainwashed by Cerberus to believe the Reapers are real. Others say you've gone crazy and allowed an overactive imagination to get the better of you."

"What your mother's getting at son, is this: are you positive this Reaper threat is as real as you say?"

"I've fought them." Kitch answered, slightly hurt that his parents may not believe him. "I've been inside of them: they're as real as we are, and they're even now working on getting into the galactic borders."

Matthew looked at his wife and the two nodded, as though satisfied with his words.

"You never had an above-average imagination." Matthew said.

"And you're sure-as-hell too strong-minded to be brainwashed." Hannah added. "What's your plan?"

"Unite the galactic races." Shepard answered, as though it was supposed to be that obvious. "Pool all galactic fleets into one fighting force, against which the Reapers will stand no chance."

"You think the Citadel Council's going to go along with you on this one?" His father asked. The youngest member of the Shepard family nodded his head.

"I think, after the attack on Earth, they'll have no choice but to see reason, and I believe they'll sanction my plan to form a galactic-wide military."

"I'm sorry if I don't share your faith in the politicians on the Citadel." Hannah responded. "I've been around politicians enough to know that they're stupid enough to begin with, but add in the fear of a power against which no race has ever survived, and they're beyond foolishly stupid."

"Well, son," Matthew said, standing up and walking over to Tali, who he then embraced like his long-lost daughter. "Look on the bright side: between the two of you, the two of us, and that crew of yours: no one will ever succeed in even threatening this child."

Shepard smiled, nodding his agreement with his father...though his smile disappeared with Tali's next words.

"At least, once we _tell _the crew of the _Normandy _that I'm pregnant with Shepard's child."

"General Shepard," Kitch said, standing up and offering his father the best salute he could ever remember giving. "Major Shepard of the _SSV Normandy. _I request another assignment."

"Hmm...let me think about it." He paused, and then smiled.

"Denied, Major."

"Sorry son," Hannah added. "But if you can't do the time then don't do the crime."

Shepard sighed: surely there had to be some way to safely tell the crew that he was going to be a father...

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><p><strong>HOLY SHIT! SWEET MOTHER!<strong>

**Shepard? A daddy?**

**So, there you have it: the reason Tali was getting so emotional over nothing.**

**Now, I'd like to take the time real quick to explain myself. Nothing I've read on the _Mass Effect _wiki says one way or the other whether Quarians and Humans can interbreed and reproduce. As it says on the Quarian page, _"their general body shape and sexual dimorphism is similar to humans...". _Coupled with how little other information I could find on the subject, I decided that it would be possible for Quarians and Humans to interbreed. Now, I try not to lie if I can help it, so I will admit that I am still working on this subject, hence the reason that they're waiting for Mordin to return and give them more data on inter-species reproduction between Quarians and Humans. I mean, in my mind, anyways, it wouldn't be too far out there for the medical staff on Wayland to have very little data on Human-Quarian reproduction, something that no medical facilities in the known galaxy would have much experience in...I could be wrong, but I don't see reproduction between Humans and Quarians as that common of a thing. However, there is an advantage to winging this as I go: you, the readers, get to have a say in the matter. Meaning, in short, when you review, that if you have an idea or suggestion then you can give it to me. Who knows, I just might use it. I would like to thank **doctor anthony **for giving me his feedback last week when I approached him in private about Quarian-Human reproduction.**

**Also, the Quarian curse of _tor'sath _was given to me for use in this fic by **green123438**, though he never gave me an official definition, so I was forced to give it one myself. Aside from _bosh'tet, _which belongs to BioWare, the remaining curses I used with permission of their owner, **Calinstel, **to whom I also owe thanks and gratitude.**

**As for the composition of the Alliance ground forces, I used the website About dot com slash U.S. Military** **to base my numbers and figures off of the current makeup of the United States Army.**

**A****nd I believe that is it for this chapter. Hmmm...let me see...oh yeah, one more thing. I could find no information on what Quarians look like beneath the suits and visors, so I had to wing it here as well. Don't ask me why I came up with the description I did, it just seemed to fit, somehow, so hopefully I did the Quarians justice.**

**I believe, overall, that's my biggest wish for this chapter, that I did it justice and everyone's okay with how it came out. I suppose the only way I'll know for sure is if you leave your reviews and let me know what you think. So, until next time...**

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><p><strong>Quarian Terms:<strong>

_**Bosh'tet:** _Quaraian curse. _English translation:_ bitch

**_Fre'eg:_**Quarian insult. Means 'Clinging Waste' _English translation:_ dingleberry

**_Keelah:_**uarian exclamation. In english, it is akin to saying "Oh my God" or "Oh my"

_**Tor'Sath:**_Quarian insult. Means to be unfaithful in a relationship. _English translation: _player, cheater, two-timer

_**Usl'sa yze tabb:** _Quarian insult. Means to be the slow child of an inbred family.

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><p><strong>ADDITIONAL STORIES BY<strong> Guardian Kitch**:**

_**Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side**_


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